HERO  TALES 
AND  LEGENDS  OF 

THE  SERBIANS 


/>.  "  (9  beauteous  green  lake  !    Thou  art  to  be  my  home 

for  evermore  " 


Yoji  'star 

'HERO  TALES 
AND  LEGENDS   OF 

THE  SERBIANS 


<BY 
WOISLAV  M.  PETROVITCH 

ATTACHE*  TO  THE  SERBIAN  ROYAL  LEGATION  TO  THE 
COURT  OF  ST.  JAMES 

WITH  A  PREFACE  BY 

CHEDO   MIYATOVICH 

FORMERLY   SERBIAN   MINISTER  TO  THE   COURT  OF  ST.  JAMES 

AND  THIRTY-TWO  ILLUSTRATIONS 
IN  COLOUR  BY 

WILLIAM  SEWELL  V  GILBERT  JAMES 


{/ 

"rVW, 
il 


/llfa  floMtoV 


NEW  YORK 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


• 


TO  THAT  MOST  EMINENT  SERBIAN 
PATRIOT  AND  STATESMAN 

HIS  EXCELLENCY 
NICHOLAS   P.    PASHITCH 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE    COUNCIL  OF  MINISTERS, 
MINISTER   FOR    FOREIGN   AFFAIRS,   ETC.    ETC. 

THIS  BOOK  IS 

RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED 

BY  THE  AUTHOR 


PRINTED   AT   THE   BALLANTYNE   PRESS 
LONDON  ENGLAND 


PREFACE 

SERBIANS  attach  the  utmost  value  and  importance 
to  the  sympathies  of  such  a  highly  cultured,  great, 
and  therefore  legitimately  influential  people  as  is 
the  British  nation.  Since  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth 
century  there  have  been  two  critical  occasions — the 
annexation  of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  by  Austria  and 
the  war  against  the  Turks — when  we  have  had  opportuni- 
ties to  note  how  British  sympathies,  even  when  apparently 
only  platonic,  can  be  of  great  practical  importance  for  our 
nation.  It  is  quite  natural  that  we  should  desire  to  retain 
and  if  possible  deepen  and  increase  those  sympathies. 
We  are  proud  of  the  victories  of  our  army  over  the  brave 
Turks,  but  we  flatter  ourselves  that  our  nation  may  win 
sympathy  and  respect  by  other  than  military  features  of 
its  national  character.  We  wish  that  our  British  friends 
should  know  our  nation  such  as  it  is.  We  wish  them  to 
be  acquainted  with  our  national  psychology.  And  nothing 
could  give  a  better  insight  into  the  very  soul  of  the 
Serbian  nation  than  this  book  which  M.  Woislav  M. 
Petrovitch  has  so  happily  conceived. 
The  Serbians  belong  ethnologically  to  the  great  family  of 
the  Slavonic  nations.  They  are  first  cousins  to  the 
Russians,  Poles,  Czechs,  Slovaks,  and  Bulgars,  and  they 
are  brothers  to  the  Croats  and  Slovenes.  Since  the  Church 
has  ceased  to  be  the  discordant  and  disuniting  element  in 
the  life  of  the  nations,  the  Orthodox  Serbians  and  the 
Roman  Catholic  Croats  are  practically  one  and  the  same 
people.  But  of  all  Slavonic  nations  the  Serbians  can 
legitimately  claim  to  be  the  most  poetical  one.  Their 
language  is  the  richest  and  the  most  musical  among  all 
the  Slavonic  languages.  The  late  Professor  Morfill,  a 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

man  who  was  something  of  a  Panslavist,  repeatedly  said 
to  me :  "  I  wish  you  Serbians,  as  well  as  all  other  Slavonic 
nations,  to  join  Russia  in  a  political  union,  but  I  do  not 
wish  you  to  surrender  your  beautiful  and  well-developed 
language  to  be  exchanged  for  the  Russian !  "  On  one 
occasion  he  went  even  so  far  as  to  suggest  that  the  future 
United  States  of  the  Slavs  should  adopt  as  their  literary 
and  official  language  the  Serbian,  as  by  far  the  finest  and 
most  musical  of  all  the  Slavonic  tongues. 
When  our  ancestors  occupied  the  western  part  of  the 
Balkan  Peninsula,  they  found  there  numerous  Latin 
colonies  and  Greek  towns  and  settlements.  In  the  course 
of  twelve  centuries  we  have  through  intermarriage  ab- 
sorbed much  Greek  and  Latin  blood.  That  influence,  and 
the  influence  of  the  commercial  and  political  intercourse 
with  Italy,  has  softened  our  language  and  our  manners 
and  intensified  our  original  Slavonic  love  of  what  is 
beautiful,  poetical,  and  noble.  We  are  a  special  Slavonic 
type,  modified  by  Latin  and  Greek  influences.  The  Bulgars 
are  a  Slavonic  nation  of  a  quite  different  type,  created  by 
the  circulation  of  Tartar  blood  in  Slavonian  veins.  This 
simple  fact  throws  much  light  on  the  conflicts  between 
the  Serbians  and  Bulgarians  during  the  Middle  Ages,  and 
>£ven  in  our  own  days. 

jfNow  what  are  the  Serbian  national  songs  ?    They  are  not 
//^ongs  made  by  cultured  or  highly  educated  poets — songs 

j    which,  becoming  popular,  are  sung  by  common  people. 

I    They  are  songs  made  by  the  common  people  themselves. 

/  Up  to  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  Serbian 
peasantry  lived  mostly  in  agricultural  and  family  associa- 
tions called  Zadrooga.  As  M.  Petrovitch  has  stated,  the 
sons  of  a  peasant  did  not  leave  their  father's  house  when 
they  got  married,  but  built  a  wooden  cottage  on  the 
vi 


Preface 

land  surrounding  the  father's  house.  Very  often  a  large 
settlement  arose  around  the  original  home,  with  often 
more  than  a  hundred  persons,  men  and  women,  working 
together,  considering  the  land  and  houses  as  their  com- 
mon property,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  work  as  the 
common  property  too.  All  the  members  of  the  Zadrooga 
considered  the  oldest  member  of  such  family  association 
as  their  chief,  and  it  was  the  usual  custom  to  gather  round 
him  every  evening  in  the  original  house.  After  questions 
of  farming  or  other  business  had  been  disposed  of,  the 
family  gathering  would  be  enlivened  by  the  chieftain  or 
some  other  male  member  reciting  an  epic  song,  or  several 
such  songs,  describing  historic  events  or  events  which 
had  lately  happened.  At  the  public  gatherings  around 
the  churches  and  monasteries  groups  of  men  and  women 
would  similarly  gather  about  the  reciters  of  songs  on  old 
kings  and  heroes  or  on  some  great  and  important  event. 
In  Hungarian  Serbia  (Syrmia,  Banat,  Bachka)  poor  blind 
men  often  make  it  a  lucrative  profession  to  sing  old  or  new 
songs,  mostly  on  old  heroes  and  historical  events  or  on  con- 
temporary events.  But  in  other  parts  of  Serbia  (Shuma-7 
diya,  Bosnia,  Herzegovina,  Montenegro,  Dalmatia)  veryj 
often  well-to-do  peasants  recite  the  hero  songs  to  crowds  of 
listeners  of  both  sexes.  It  is  a  curious  fact  noticed  already 
by  Vouk  S.  Karadgitch  that  the  reciters  of  the  heroic  songs 
are  hardly  ever  young  men,  but  generally  men  of  middle 
age,  and  still  more  frequently  old  men.  It  is  as  if  old 
men  considered  it  their  duty  to  acquaint  the  young  genera- 
tion with  the  principal  events  of  the  nation's  history  and 
their  principal  heroes.  You  may  find  still  many  an  illiterate 
person  in  Serbia,  but  you  will  not  find  one  who  would  not 
be  able  to  tell  you  something  about  Stephan  Nemanya,  the 
first  king  of  mediaeval  Serbia,  about  his  son  St.  Sava, 

vii 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Tsar  Doushan,  his  young  son  Ourosh,  King  Voukashin 
the  Royal  Prince  Kralyevitch  Marko,  Tsar  Lazar,  and  the 
heroes  who  fell  in  the  famous  battle  at  Kossovo  (1389). 
It  can  be  said  that  the  Serbian  peasants  wrote  their  own 
national  history  by  composing  and  reciting  it  from  one 
generation  to  another  in  the  rhythmical  ten-syllabic  blank 
verse.     The  gooslari  and  the  monks  kept  the  national 
political  consciousness  and  the  national  Church  fully  alive 
through  the  five  centuries  in  which  they  were  only  Turkish 
Rayah,  a  mass  of  common  people  doomed  to  be  nothing 
better  than  slaves  to  their  master,  the  Turk.     We  would 
to-day    not    have  known   anything  about  the  persistent 
guerilla  war,  which  the  best  and  boldest  men  of  the  nation 
were  relentlessly  carrying  on  against  the  nation's  oppressor 
since  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  until  the  first 
rising  of  Shumadia  under  Karageorge  in  1 804,  if  we  had  not 
the  so-called  Ha'idoochke  Pesme  (the  Songs  on  Haidooks). 
Long  before  the  history  of  The  Resurrection  of  the  Serbian 
National  State  had  been  written  by  Stoyan  Novakovich, 
the  learned  President  of  the  Serbian  Academy,  the  bard 
Vishnyich  described  that  resurrection  in  songs  of  great 
beauty  and  power.     And  the  victories  of  the  Serbian  army 
over  the  Turks  and  Bulgars  in  the  war  of  1912-13  are 
already  sung  by  the  improvized  bards  in  the  inns  and  at 
the  great  gatherings  of  the  people  at  the  village  fairs  and 
around  the  churches  on  great  church  festivals.  jOf^course, 
a  Serbian  who  has  heard  on  hundreds  of  occasions  national 
songs  recited  learns  to  recite  them  himself,  although  he 
may  not  be  able  to  accompany  his  recitation  on  the  goussle. 
Nor  does  he  find  it  difficult,  by  using  many  stereotyped 
lines  of  old  and  well-known  songs,  to  tell  the  story  of  a 
recent  event.     When  in  1873,  as  Minister  of  Finance,  I 
was  defeated  in  the  Budget  debate  at  the  Skoupshtina, 
viii 


Preface 

my  defeat  was  recited  to  the  people  in  blank  verse  the  same 
evening,  and  the  next  day. 

Beside  the  songs  which  relate,  more  or  less  accurately, 
actual  events,  many  a  national  song  relates  a  legend  or  a 
tradition.  They  have  been  created,  no  doubt,  under  the 
influence  of  the  priests  and  monks,  and  are  appropriate 
recitations  to  the  crowds  who  come  to  the  church  festivals. 
I  am  glad  to  see  that  M.  Petrovitch  has  included  in  his 
collection  the  song  which  is  probably  the  oldest  among 
all  Serbian  songs.  It  is  called  "The  Saints  partition  \i 
[or  divide]  the  Treasures,"  and  it  gives  expression  to  an 
evidently  very  old  tradition,  which  remembers  a  sort  of 
catastrophe  which  befell  India,  and  which  probably  was  HI 
the  cause  of  the  ancient  ancestors  of  the  Slavs  leaving 
India.  It  is  most  remarkable  to  find  an  echo  of  an  Indian 
catastrophe  in  the  national  songs  of  the  Serbians. 
That  the  Serbians  had  national  songs  in  which  they 
described  the  exploits  of  their  national  heroes  was  noted 
in  the  fourteenth  century.  Nicephoras  Gregoras,  sent  by 
the  Byzantine  Emperor  on  a  diplomatic  mission  to  Serbia, 
relates  having  heard  the  Serbians  sing  their  national  songs 
on  their  heroes.  The  records  of  several  diplomatic 
missions,  going  from  Vienna  or  Buda  to  Constantinople 
during  the  sixteenth  century,  relate  that  the  members 
heard  people  sing  heroic  songs.  In  that  century  we  have 
the  first  attempt  to  reproduce  in  print  some  of  those 
national  songs,  as,  for  instance,  by  the  Ragusan  poet 
Hectorovich.  In  the  eighteenth  century  fuller  efforts  were 
made  by  the  Franciscan  monk  Kachich-Mioshich  and  by 
Abbe  Fortis.  But  it  is  to  the  self-taught  founder  of  modern 
Serbian  literature,  Vouk  Stephanovitch  Karadgitch,  that 
the  greatest  honour  is  due,  as  has  been  shown  by  M. 
Petrovitch  in  his  Introduction  and  elsewhere. 

b  ix 


Tales  §§f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

M.  Petrovitch  must  have  experienced  what  the  French 
call  embarras  de  riches  ses.  It  was  not  so  easy  to  select 
the  songs  for  an  English  translation,  But  he  has  given 
us  some  of  the  finest  Serbian  epic  songs  as  samples  of 
what  the  Serbian  national  poetry  is  capable  of  creating. 
I  regret  only  that  he  has  not  included  a  few  samples  of 
what  the  Serbian  village  women  and  girls  are  able  to 
produce  in  the  way  of  lyrical  poetry.  Perhaps  on  some 
other  occasion  he  will  make  an  amende  honorable  to  our 
countrywomen. 

I  wish  to   add  yet  a  few  words  to  what  M.  Petrovitch 
said   about   our   greatest   national   hero,  the   Royal 
e-^&fatyevilrh)  'Marke, — As   he   has   pointed  out, 


arko  is  a  historical  personality.  But  what  history  has 
to  say  about  him  is  not  much,  and  certainly  not  of  the 

^nature  to  explain  how  he  became  the  favourite  hero  of 
the  Serbian  people.  He  was  a  loyal  and  faithful  vassal 
of  the  Sultan,  a  fact  hardly  likely  to  win  him  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  the  Serbians.  Yet  the  Serbians 
throughout  the  last  five  centuries  have  respected,  ad- 

unired,  loved  their  Royal  Prince  Marko,  and  were  and 
are  now  and  will  ever  be  proud  of  him.  This  psycho- 
logical puzzle  has  stirred  up  the  best  Serbian  and  some 
other  historical  students  and  authors  to  investigate  the 
matter.  It  is  evident  .  to. -all  ..that  most  of  the  songs 
on  Marko  must  have  been  composed  under  the  mighty 
influence  of  his  personality  upon  his  contemporary  country- 
men. Dr.  Yagich,  Dr.  Maretich,  Professor  Stoykovich 
and  St.  Novakovich  all  believe  that  his  athletic  strength 
and  personal  appearance  were  responsible  for  much  of 
the  impression  he  made.  All  agree  that  his  conduct  in 
everyday  life  and  on  all  occasions  was  that  of  a  true 
knight,  a  cavaliere  servente,  a  chevalier  sans  peur  et  sans 


Preface 

reproche.  Even  his  attachment  and  unfailing  readiness 
to  serve  the  Sultan  was  counted  in  his  favour,  as  proof 
of  his  absolute  loyalty  of  character.  Probably  that  very 
loyalty  was  appreciated  by  the  Sultan  and  enabled  Marko 
not  rarely  to  appeal  to  the  Sultan  in  favour  of  his 
people,  especially  when  some  prisoners  or  slaves  were  to 
be  liberated  and  saved.  He  was  certainly  the  protector 
of  poor  and  suffering  men  and  women,  and  went  to  their 
rescue  at  all  and  every  personal  risk  and  cost.  He  must 
have  given  real  proofs  of  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
justice ;  that  is  what  endeared  him  to  his  generation  as 
well  as  to  the  generations  which  followed.  He  must  have 
been  known  during  his  life  for  his  fear  of  God  and  his 
respect  and  tender  love  for  his  mother.  The  Serbians 
painted  him  from  the  model  which  his  own  personality 
and  his  actual  deeds  offered  to  the  nation.  One  of  the  most 
beautiful  features  of  his  knightly  character  as  described 
by  the  national  bards  is  his  love  of  and  pity  for  suffering 
animals.  I  regret  that  my  friend  Petrovitch  did  not  give  a 
sample  of  the  songs  which  glorify  that  feature  of  our 
national  hero,  as,  for  instance,  the  song  "  Marko  and  the 
Falcon"  (Vouk.  ii.  53),  or  "Marko  and  the  Eagle" 
(Vouk.  ii.  54),  in  each  of  which  it  is  described  how  when 
once  Marko  fell  ill  on  a  field,  an  intense  thirst  tormenting 
him  and  the  scorching  sun-rays  burning  his  face,  those 
birds  out  of  gratitude  for  the  kindness  Marko  showed 
them  once,  brought  to  him  water  in  their  beaks  and  spread 
_their  wings  to  shade  his  face  against  the  sun. 
By  far  the  best  study  on  the  Serbian  national  hero  has 
been  written  by  the  Russian  professor  M.  Halanski,  who 
explains  the  puzzle  by  the  natural  sympathy  of  the  people 
for  a  '  tragic  hero.'  The  historical  Marko  was  certainly 
a  '  tragic  hero.'  Nothing  proves  that  better  than  his  last 

xi 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

words  before  the  battle  of  Rovina  began  (1399),  and 
which  M.  Petrovitch  quotes  in  the  text. 
^Tought  to  add  that  there  is  also  a  theory  that  the  Serbian 
nation,  so  to  say,  projected  itself  in  the  Royal  Prince 
Marko,  depicting  its  own  tragic  fate,  its  own  virtues  and 
weaknesses,  in  the  popular  yet  tragic  personality  of  Marko. 
No  doubt  Marko  must  have  been  in  some  way  the  repre- 
sentative type  of  a  noble  Serbian,  otherwise  he  could  not 
have  found  the  way  to  the  soul  and  heart  of  his  people. 
Yet  that  theory  is  hardly  modest,  for  my  taste. 
It  may  interest  our  British  friends  to  know  that  a  relation 
of  the  dynasty  of  which  Marko  was  the  last  representa- 
tive, a  certain  Prince  John  Mussachi,  in  a  historical 
memoir  stated  that  Marko's  father,  King  Voukashin,  was 
the  descendant  of  a  certain  nobleman  named  Britanius 
or  Britanicus !  *  We  should  be  proud  if  it  could  be 
proved  that  the  ancestors  of  our  national  hero  were  in 
some  way  connected  with  the  Britons. 

CHEDO  MIYATOVICH 

Member  of  the  Royal  Serbian  Academy 

of  Sciences 
BELGRADE 

June  28,  1914 

1  Mussachi's  memoir  in  Karl  Hopf's  Chroniques  Gr&co-Romaines. 


Xll 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

INTRODUCTION  xvii 

I     HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT  i 

II     SUPERSTITIOUS    BELIEFS   AND    NATIONAL 

CUSTOMS  13 

III  SERBIAN  NATIONAL  EPIC  POETRY  54' 

IV  KRALYEVITCH    MARKO ;    OR,   THE    ROYAL 

PRINCE  MARKO  59 

V     BANOVITCH  STRAHINYA  119 

VI  THE    TSARINA    MILITZA  AND  THE  ZMAY 

OF  YASTREBATZ  129 

VII  THE     MARRIAGE     OF    MAXIMUS    TZRNO- 

YEVITCH  134 

-VIII     THE   MARRIAGE  OF  TSAR  DOUSHAN   THE 

MIGHTY  150 

IX    TSAR     LAZARUS     AND     THE     TSARINA 

MILITZA  170 

X    THE     CAPTIVITY    AND     MARRIAGE     OF 

STEPHAN  YAKSHITCH  177 

XI     THE  MARRIAGE  OF  KING  VOUKASHIN  186 

XII     THE  SAINTS  DIVIDE  THE  TREASURES  195 

XIII  THREE  SERBIAN  BALLADS 

1.  THE  BUILDING  OF  SKADAR  198 

2.  THE  STEPSISTERS  206 

3.  THE  ABDUCTION  OF  THE  BEAUTIFUL  ICONIA  210 

XIV  FOLK  LORE 

1.  THE  RAM  WITH  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE  213 

2.  A  PAVILION  NEITHER  IN  THE  SKY  NOR  ON  THE  EARTH  220 
PEPELYOUGA  224 

4.  ANIMALS'  LANGUAGE  230 
THE  STEPMOTHER  AND  HER  STEPDAUGHTER  235 

6.  JUSTICE  AND  INJUSTICE  240 

xiii 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

CHAPTER 

XIV     FOLK  LORE—  continued 

7.  HE  WHO  ASKS  LITTLE  RECEIVES  MUCH 
•MJ.   BASH  TCHELIK  OR  REAL  STEEL 
^9.  THE  GOLDEN  APPLE-  TREE  AND  THE  NINE  PEA-HENS 

THE  BIRD  MAIDEN 
1  1.  LYING  FOR  A  WAGER 
12.  THE  MAIDEN  WISER  THAN  THE  TSAR 
GOOD  DEEDS  NEVER  PERISH 
HE  WHOM  GOD  HELPS  NO  ONE  CAN  HARM 
ANIMALS  AS  FRIENDS  AND  AS  ENEMIES 


6.  THE  THREE  SUITORS 


-%47. 


—  19. 


THE  DREAM  OF  THE  KING'S  SON 
THE  BITER  BIT 

THE  TRADE  THAT  NO  ONE  KNOWS 
THE  GOLDEN-HAIRED  TWINS 

XV     SOME  SERBIAN  POPULAR  ANECDOTES 
GLOSSARY  AND  INDEX 


PAGE 

243 

247 

267 
280 

283 
287 
291 
3OO 

305 
3l6 
322 
328 

34° 
353 

362 


XIV 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing 

page 
"  O  BEAUTEOUS  GREEN  LAKE  !  THOU  ART  TO  BE  MY  HOME  FOR 

EVERMORE "  Frontispiece 

HE  IS  INSTANTLY  PURSUED  BY  A  DENSE  FoG  I  8 

THE  YOUNG  MAN  SHAKES  A  TREE  THREE  TIMES  32 

THE  CHILDREN  GLEEFULLY  FOLLOW  HER  48 

VOUKASHIN    WAS    ON    THE  PoiNT    OF  GETTING  WITHIN  REACH  OF   HIS 

SON  70 

"  BUT  THANKS  TO  SHARATZ  I  GOT  FARTHER  AND  FARTHER  FROM  HIM  "  86 

THE  DOGE  GALLANTLY  RAISED  THE  HANGING  AT  THE  DOOR  96 

"  I  SAW  HOW  BLACK  HER  FACE  WAS  AND  I  SHUDDERED  WITH  HORROR"  102 

IN  A  FEW  MOMENTS  SHARATZ  CAME  UP  WITH  THE  VEELA  104 

"  THERE  is  THE  SWORD  AND  HERE  is  THE  ANVIL  "  112 

HE  LAMENTED  LOUDLY  THE  FATE  OF  MARKO  I  l6 

A  TOWER  HAD  STRUCK  MAXIMUS  WITHOUT  DOING  HIM  SERIOUS  HURT  138 

THE  RAYS  SHONE  UPON  THE  MAIDEN  150 

THE  MOUNTAIN  SHAR  WHERE  MILOSH-THE-SHEPHERD  TARRIED  WITH 

HIS  FLOCKS  1 54 

TWO  OF  THEM  LOOKED  MEANINGLY  AT  THEIR  COMPANION  I  66 

THE  VEELA  RAZING  THE  WALLS  OF  SKADAR  200 

SHE  WRUNG  THE  NECK  OF  PAUL'S  GREY  FALCON  208 

"WHY  DO  YOU  WEEP,  MY  BROTHER  ? "  214 

THE  ELEPHANTS  CAME  AS  WAS  EXPECTED  218 

SITTING  WITH  THE  SLEEPING  DRAGON'S  HEAD  ON  HER  KNEE  222 

MARRA  TOOK  OFF  HER  GOLDEN  DRESS  228 

THE  SNAKE  ENTWINED  ITSELF  SWIFTLY  ROUND  HIS  ARM  232 

THE  VEELE  CAME  TO  THE  SPRING  TO  BATHE  242 

ON  THAT  SPOT  INSTANTLY  ROSE  A  BEAUTIFUL  PALACE  246 

HE  WAS  HORRIFIED  TO  SEE  A  SNAKE  ON  THE  WALL  254 

XV 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Facing 
page 

THE  PEA-HEN  INSTANTLY  TURNED  INTO  A  MAIDEN  268 

THE  OLD  WOMAN  WAS  ABSORBED  IN  PLAYING  WITH  THE  BIRD  282 

"  THE  WHOLE  LOAF  is  FOR  THEE,  AND  BEARDLESS  is  TO  GET  NOTHING  !  "     286 

HE  COULD  NOT  FIND  A  WORD  TO  SAY  290 

"  PRAY,  GIVE  ME  YOUR  HAND  THAT  I  MAY  SEE  YOUR  RING  !  "  298 

THE  YOUNG  MAN  STROVE  EARNESTLY  IN  PRAYER  302 

HE  ASKED  THE  ERA  WHERE  HE  HAD  HIDDEN  THE  THIEF  364 

MAP  OF  THE  BALKAN  STATES  370 


XVI 


INTRODUCTION 

MORE  than  once  in  the  following  pages  I  have 
lamented  my  inability  to  translate  into  English 
verse  the  spirited  ballads  of  our  national  bards ; 
never  until  now  have  I  realized  the  error  involved  in  the 
dictum  of  my  teachers  of  literature — true  as  it  may  be 
from  one  point  of  view — that  beautiful  thoughts  are  to  be 
more  freely  expressed  in  prose  than  in  a  poetic  form,  which 
is  necessarily  hampered  by  rules  of  prosody  and  metre. 
Undoubtedly,  good  prose  is  worth  more  than  mediocre 
verse,  but  how  if  the  author  be  a  master  poet  ? 
Serbian  epic  poetry  undoubtedly  deserves  the  attention  of 
the  English  literary  world,  and  I  venture  to  express  the 
hope  that  some  day  another  English  poet  will  be  attracted 
as  was  Sir  John  Bowring  by  the  charm  of  our  ballads, 
and  like  him  will  endeavour  to  communicate  to  readers  of 
English  the  alluring  rhythmic  qualities  of  the  originals. 
In  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  various  German 
poets  transversified  some  of  our  national  ballads,  and  I 
cannot  but  boast  that  among  the  number  was  even  Goethe 
himself.  Alas  !  he  was  compelled  to  use  Italian  versions, 
for  he  was  ignorant  of  the  Serbian  language,  unlike  his 
worthy  countryman  Jacob  Grimm,  who,  after  having 
learnt  our  musical  tongue  that  he  might  acquaint  himself 
with  the  treasures  written  in  it,  wrote :  "  The  Serbian 
national  poetry  deserves  indeed  a  general  attention.  .  .  . 
On  account  of  these  ballads  I  think  the  Serbian  will  now 
be  universally  studied." 

A  Tcheque1  writer,  Lyoodevit  Schtur,  speaking  of  the 
Slav  poetry,  wrote :  "  The  Indo-European  peoples  express 
each  in  their  own  manner  what  they  contain  in  themselves 

1  Tcheque  is  a  better  synonym  for  the  solecism  Bohemian. 

xvii 


/ 


Tales  ^P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

and  what  elevates  their  souls.  The  Indian  manifests  this 
in  his  huge  temples  ;  the  Persian  in  his  holy  books  ; 
the  Egyptian  in  pyramids,  obelisks  and  immeasurable, 
mysterious  labyrinths;  the  Hellene  in  his  magnificent 
statues  ;  the  Roman  in  his  enchanting  pictures  ;  the 
German  in  his  beautiful  music  —  the  Slavs  have  poured 
out  their  soul  and  their  intimate  thoughts  in  ballads  and 
tales." 

I  think  that  it  is  not  too  much  to  claim  that  of  all  the  Slavs, 
Serbians  have  most  profusely  poured  out  their  souls  in 
their  poetry,  which  is  thoroughly  and  essentially  national. 
So  much  could  not  safely  be  said  about  their  tales  and 
legends,  which,  to  my  mind,  seem  less  characteristic. 
Indeed,  by  their  striking  analogy  with  the  folk  lore  of 
other  nations  they  help  to  demonstrate  the  prehistoric 
oneness  of  the  entire  Aryan  race.  For  example,  it  would 
be  ridiculous  for  any  nation  to  lay  exclusive  claim,  as 
'national  property/  to  such  legends  as  "Cinderella"1 
and  certain  others,  which  are  found  more  or  less  alike  in 
many  languages,  as  is  well  known  to  those  who  have  any 
considerable  acquaintance  with  European  folk  lore. 

m  time  immemorial  the  Serbian  has  possessed  an 
exceptional  natural  gift  for  composing  heroic  ballads.  That 
gift  was  brought  from  his  ancient  abode  in  the  North  ; 
and  the  beautiful  scenery  of  his  new  surroundings,  and 
contact  with  the  civilized  Byzantine,  influenced  it  very 
considerably  and  provided  food  for  its  development,  so 
that  it  came  to  resemble  the  Homeric  epic  rather  than 
any  product  of  the  genius  of  the  Northern  Slav.  The 
treasure  of  his  mental  productions  was  continually  aug- 

1  In  Serbian  Pepdyouga,  where/*/*/,  or  —  with  vocalized  l—pcpeo,  means 
'  cinder  '  or  *  ashes  '  ;  ouga  being  the  idiomatic  suffix  corresponding  to 
the  Italian  one  or  English  ella,  etc. 

xviii 


Introduction 

mented  by  new  impressions,  and  the  national  poetry 
thus  grew  opulent  in  its  form  and  more  beautiful  in  its 
composition.  The  glorious  forests  of  the  Balkans,  instinct 
with  legend  and  romance,  to  which  truly  no  other  forests 
in  Europe  can  compare ;  the  ever-smiling  sky  of  Southern 
Macedonia ;  the  gigantic  Black  Rocks  of  Montenegro  and 
Herzegovina,  are  well  calculated  to  inspire  even  a  less 
talented  people  than  the  Serbian  inhabitants  of  those 
romantic  regions  for  the  last  thirteen  centuries. 
The  untiring  Serbian  muse  pursued  her  mission  alike  upon 
the  battlefield  or  in  the  forest,  in  pleasant  pastures  amid 
the  flocks,  or  beneath  the  frowning  walls  of  princely 
castles  and  sacred  monasteries.  The  entire  nation  parti- 
cipated in  her  gracious  gifts ;  and  whenever  a  poet 
chanted  of  the  exploits  of  some  favourite  national  hero,  or 
of  the  pious  deeds  of  monk  or  saint,  or,  indeed,  of  any 
subject  which  appeals  closely  to  the  people,  there  were 
never  lacking  other  bards  who  could  make  such  poetic 
creations  their  own  and  pass  them  on  with  the  modifica- 
tions which  must  always  accompany  oral  transmission, 
and  which  serve  to  bring  them  ever  more  intimately  near 
to  the  heart  of  the  nation.  This  characteristic  of  oral 
transmission  explains  the  existence  of  varying  versions  of 
some  of  the  most  popular  songsT"? 

Through  many  centuries,  and  more  especially  during  the 
blighting  domination  of  the  Turk,  Serbian  national  litera- 
ture was  limited  to  a  merely  oral  form,  save  that  the 
untiring  monks,  inviolable  within  the  sacred  walls  of  their 
monasteries,  spent  their  leisure,  not  in  inscribing  the 
popular  ballads  and  lyric  songs  of  their  nation,  but  in 
recording  the  biographies  of  other  monks  or  of  this  or 
that  princely  patron. 

Those   Serbians   who  could  not   endure   the   oppressive 

xix 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

rule  of  the  Ottoman,  and  who  in  the  seventeenth  century 
emigrated  with  their  Patriarch  Arsen  Tcharnoyevitch  to 
the  level  fields  of  Southern  Hungary — there  to  adopt 
in  the  course  of  the  two  subsequent  centuries  the 
pseudo-classicism  of  the  West — considered  it  infra  dig- 
nitatem  to  write  about  such  vulgar  subjects  as  popular 
poetry  and  tradition.  The  gifted  descendants  of  those 
lamentable  slaves  of  the  cunning  Austrian  and  Pan- 
Russian  influences  wasted  their  talents  in  vain  and  empty 
imitation  of  pseudo-classic  productions  from  Italy  and 
France,  and,  by  conjugating  zealously  the  Serbian  and 
Old-Slavonic  verbs  in  the  Russian  fashion  they  created  a 
monstrous  literary  jargon  which  they  termed  Slavyano- 
Serbski  (i.e.  Slavo-Serbian).  And  if  any  Serbian  author 
should  have  presumed  to  write  in  the  melodious  and 
genuine  Serbian  as  universally  spoken  throughout  his 
fatherland,  he  would  have  been  anathematized  by  those 
misguided  Slavo-Serbian  *  classicists '  who  fondly  believed 
that  by  writing  in  a  language  hardly  comprehensible  even 
to  themselves,  because  of  its  utter  inconsequence  and  arbi- 
trary changes,  they  would  surely  become  distinguished 
in  the  history  of  their  nation's  literature. 
The  '  classicists '  received  their  deserts  in  the  first  half  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  when  they  were  overwhelmed  by 
the  irresistible  torrent  of  the  popular  movement  headed  by 
the  self-taught  Serbian  peasant,  VOUK  STEPHANOVITCH- 
KARADGITCH,  whose  name  will  remain  for  ever  great  in 
the  history  of  Serbian  literature.  Karadgitch  has  been 
called  justly  "the  father  of  Serbian  modern  literature." 
His  numberless  opponents,  who  began  by  heaping  upon 
him  every  opprobrious  epithet  which  their  pens  or  tongues 
could  command,  ended,  after  more  than  fifty  years  of 
fruitless  resistance,  by  opening  wide  their  arms  to  him. 
xx 


Introduction 

Karadgitch  framed  a  grammar  of  the  popular  Serbian 
language,  banishing  all  unnecessary  graphic  signs  and 
adapting  his  thirty-lettered  alphabet  to  the  thirty  sounds 
(five  vowels  and  twenty-five  consonants)  of  his  mother 
tongue — thus  giving  it  an  ideal  phonetic  orthography, 
and  establishing  the  golden  rule,  "  Spell  as  you  speak 
and  speak  as  you  spell"1  He  also  travelled  from 
one  village  to  another  throughout  Serbia,  zealously 
collecting  and  inscribing  the  epic  and  lyric  poems, 
legends,  and  traditions  as  he  heard  them  from  the  lips 
of  bards  and  story-tellers,  professional  and  amateur. 
In  his  endeavours  he  was  powerfully  seconded  by  the 
Serbian  ruling  princes,  and  he  had  the  good  fortune  to 
acquire  the  intimate  friendship  of  those  distinguished 
philologers  and  scientists  of  the  last  century,  Bartholemy 
Kopitar,  Schaffarik,  and  Grimm.  Helped  by  Kopitar, 
J£aradgitch  succeeded  in  compiling  an  academic  dictionary 
of  the  Serbian  language  interpreted  by  Latin  and  German 
\  equivalents.  This  remains  to  this  day  the  only  reliable 
I  Serbian  dictionary  approaching  to  the  Western  standard 
*"oF  such  books.  His  first  collection  of  Serbian  popular 
poems  was  published  in  Vienna  in  1814.  It  contained 
200  lyric  songs,  which  he  called  ^enske  pyesme  (i.e. 
'women-songs'),  and  23  heroic  ballads,  and  the  book 
created  a  stir  in  literary  circles  in  Austria,  Serbia, 
Germany,  Russia,  and  other  countries.  Seven  years  later 
Karadgitch  published  at  Leipzig  a  second  edition  in  three 
Hbooks.  This  contained  406  lyric  songs  and  117  heroic 
j  poems.  From  this  edition  Sir  John  Bowring  made  his 
metrical  translation  of  certain  of  the  lyric  and  epic  poems, 


1  See  Servian  Conversation  Grammar,  by  Woislav  M.  Petrovitch,  ed. 
Julius  Groos,  Heidelberg,  1914  (London  :  David  Nutt,  212  Shaftesbury 
Avenue,  W.C.),  Introduction,  pp.  1-8. 

xxi 


tha 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

which  he  published  in  1827  under  the  title  Servian  Popular 
Poetry.  He  dedicated  the  book  to  Karadgitch,  who  was 
is  intimate  friend  and  teacher  of  Serbian.1 
I  have  reproduced  three  of  Bowring's  ballads  in  this  book 
that  English  readers  may  have  a  better  idea  than  they 
can  obtain  from  a  mere  prose  rendering  of  the  original 
verse.  As  to  the  poetic  merits  of  these  metrical  trans- 
lations I  will  not  presume  to  offer  an  opinion,  but  I  may 
be  permitted  to  say  that  I  have  not  seen  a  more  faithful 
translation  of  our  national  ballads  and  lyric  songs  in 
nglish  or  in  any  other  language.  Considering  the 
difficulties  to  the  Anglo-Saxon  student  of  any  Slavonic 
language  (more  especially  Serbian)  it  is  surprising  that 
there  should  be  so  few  defects  in  Bowring's  work.  Sir 
"John  must  have  possessed  an  uncommon  gift  for  acquiring 
languages,  as  he  has  also  translated  from  each  of  the 
other  Slavonic  tongues  with — so  I  am  informed — similar 
accuracy  and  precision. 

/Tfie  third  edition  of  Karadgitch's  work  appeared  in  Vienna 

I  at  intervals  between  the  years  1841  and  1866.     It  had 

i  now  grown  to  five  volumes  and  contained  1112  lyric  songs 

Ljand  313  heroic  ballads.    It  is  from  this  edition  that  I  have 

selected  the  hero-tales  in  this  book ;  and  if  I  should  succeed 

in  interesting  a  new  generation  of  English  readers  in  the 

literature  of  my  country  it  will  be  my  further  ambition  to 

attempt  the  immeasurably  harder  task  of  introducing  them 

in  a  subsequent  volume  to  our  popular  lyric  poetry. 

1  This  was  one  of  many  honours  received  by  the  self-taught  peasant. 
He  was  elected  an  honorary  Doctor  of  Philosophy  by  the  University  of 
Jena,  and  later  became  acting  or  honorary  member  of  most  of  the 
Academies  of  Sciences  in  Europe ;  the  highest  orders  of  the  ruling 
princes  of  Serbia  were  bestowed  upon  him,  and  the  Emperors  of 
Austria,  Russia,  and  Germany  conferred  upon  him  similar  marks  of  their 
favour. 

xxii 


Introduction 

Following  the  example  of  Karadgitch,  many  Serbians 
of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  have  collected  ballads  and 
legends  which  Karadgitch  did  not  hear  recited  during 
his  various  journeys  through  those  typically  Serbian 
countries,  or  which  he  had  not  found  time  to  add 
to  his  volumes.  Such  additional  poems — a  very  large 
number  indeed — have  been  published  from  time  to  time 
in  the  well-known  magazines,  Bosanska  Veela  (i.e.  "The 
Veela  of  Bosnia")  and  Karadgitch,  and  the  number  is 
being  continually  added  to,  not  only  from  ancient  sources 
but  also  from  the  newer  inspiration  which  has  resulted 
from  the  Balkan  wars  of  1912-1913. 
It  remains  only  to  tender  my  most  grateful  acknowledg- 
ment to  my  esteemed  friend  M.  Chedo  Miyatovich  for 
his  invaluable  advice  and  encouragement,  and  for  his 
generous  willingness  to  contribute  the  preface  which 
adorns  my  book.  I  would  also  thank  my  publishers  for 
the  help  given  in  the  preparation  of  my  manuscript  for 
the  press. 

W.  M.  PETROVITCH 

189  QUEEN'S  GATE,  LONDON 
May  1914 


XXlll 


CHAPTER  I  :  HISTORICAL 
RETROSPECT 

The  Coming  of  the  Serb 

PRIOR  to  their  incursion  into  the  Balkan  Peninsula 
during  the  seventh  century,  the.  Serbians  *  lived  as 
a  patriarchal  people  in  the  country  now  known  as 
Galicia.  Ptolemy,  the  ancient  Greek  geographer,  describes 
them  as  living  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Don,  to  the  \ 
north-east  of  the  sea  of  Azov.  They  settled  mostly  in 
those  Balkan  territories  which  they  inhabit  at  the  present 
day,  namely,  the  present  kingdom  of  Serbia,  Old  Serbia, 
Macedonia,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Montenegro,  Dal- 
matia,  Batchka,  Banat,  Croatia,  Sirmia  and  Istria.  The 
ancient  inhabitants  of  those  regions,  Latins,  Illyrians, 
Thracians,  Greeks  and  Albanians,  were  easily  driven  by 
the  newcomers  toward  the  Adriatic  coast.  Their  Em- 
peror, Heraclius  (A.D.  610-641),  unable  to  oppose  an 
effective  resistance,  ceded  to  the  Serbians  all  the  provinces 
which  they  had  occupied,  and  peace  was  thus  purchased. 
The  pagan  and  uncultured  Serbian  tribes  now  came  into 
constant  intercourse  with  the  civilized  Byzantines,  and 
soon  were  converted  to  Christianity;  for  it  is  an  almost 
invariable  fact  that  when  one  people  conquers  or  subjects 
another  people,  the  more  civilized  of  the  two,  whether  the 
vanquished  or  the  victorious,  must  necessarily  impose  its 
civilization  and  customs  on  the  more  barbarous.  But  the 
Serbians  only  embraced  Christianity  to  any  large  extent 

1  The  English  language  is  the  only  one  which,  instead  of_the  correct 
forms  '  Serbian/  '  Serbia,'  uses  the  solecism  'S^ryia,'  etc.  Suggesting 
a  false  derivation  from  the  Latin  root  which  furnished  the  English 
words  *  serf,'  '  servant,'  '  servitude,'  this  corrupted  form  is,  of  course 
extremely  offensive  to  the  people  to  whom  it  is  applied  and  should 
be  abandoned. 

A  I 


f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

e  I  beginning  of  the  ninth  century,  when  the  two 
brothers  XJyrillos'and  Methodius — the  so-called  Slavonic 
apostles — translated  and  preached  the  teaching  of  Christ 
in  the  ancient  Slav  language,  then  in  common  use  among 
all  southern  Slavs  of  that  time. 

Early  Struggles 

As  the  Serbians,  during  the  seventh  and  eighth  cen- 
turies, were  divided  into  tribes,  they  became  an  easy 
prey  to  the  attacks  of  the  Byzantines,  the  Bulgars  and  the 
Francs,  although  they  never  were  subjugated  by  any  of 
those  neighbours.  The  Serbians,  however,  were  forced  to 
realize  that  only  by  concentration  of  their  power  could 
they  offer  resistance  as  a  nation,  and  a  serious  effort  was 
made  to  found  a  State  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Morava, 
with  Horea  Margi  (now  called  Tyoupriya)  as  its  capital, 
in  the  early  part  of  the  ninth  century.  Owing  to  Bul- 
garian hostility,  however,  this  proved  abortive. 
A  fresh  attempt  to  form  an  independent  State  was  made 
by  the  Djoupan  (Count)  Vlastimir,  who  had  succeeded  in 
emancipating  himself  from  Byzantine  suzerainty.  This 
province  was  called  Rashka  and  extended  around  the 
Rivers  Piva,  Tara,  and  Lim,  touching  the  basin  of  the 
River  Ibar  in  the  east  and  that  of  Vrbas  in  the  west.  But 
in  the  very  beginning  of  its  civil  life  there  were  dissensions 
amongst  the  leaders  which  facilitated  the  interference  of 
the  Bulgarian  Tsar  Sim6on.  Tchaslav,  the  djoupan  of 
another  Serbian  tribe,  though  he  possessed  no  rights  to  it, 
claimed  the  throne,  and  was  supported  by  Simeon,  who 
successfully  invaded  Rashka.  The  Bulgarians  retained 
possession  of  the  country  for  seven  years  (924-931),  when 
Tchaslav  succeeded  in  wresting  from  them  a  new  state 
which  comprised,  together  with  Rashka,  the  territories  of 


Internecine  Strife 

Zetta,  Trebinye,  Neretva  and  Houm.     After  his  death, 
great  disorder  reigned  in  this  principality. 
In  the  course  of  the  next  century  the  Byzantine  Empire, 
having  again  brought  the  now  enfeebled  Bulgaria  within 
its  rule,  also  overpowered  Rashka,  whose  Grand  Djoupan 
fled.     The  ruler  of  Zetta,  Stephen  Vo'islav  (1034-1051), 
son  of  Dragomir,  djoupan  of  Trebinye,  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  declaring  himself  independent  of  his  suzerain 
the    Grand     Djoupan     of     Rashka,     and     appropriated 
Zahoumlye  (Herzegovina)  and  some  other  regions.     His 
son  Michaylo  (1053-1081)  succeeded  further  in  bringing 
Rashka  under  his  authority,  and  obtained  the  title  of  king 
(rex  Sclavoium)  from  Pope  Gregory  VII  in  the  year  1077. 
Under  the  rule  of  King  Bodin,  the  son  of  Michaylo,  the 
Serbia  of  Tchaslav  was  restored ;  furthermore  Bosnia  was 
added  to  his  state.     But  after  Bodin's  death  new  disorder 
ensued,  caused  mainly  by  the  struggles  amongst  the  several 
pretenders  to  the  throne. 

Internecine  Strife 

Internecine  strife  is  an  unfortunate  feature  to  be  noticed 
throughout  Serbian  history,  and  constantly  we  see  energy 
wasted  in  futile  dissensions  among  various  members  of 
ruling  families,  who  criminally  and  fatally  neglected 
national  interests,  in  pursuit  by  legitimate  or  illegitimate 
means  of  their  personal  ambitions.  This  has  at  all  times 
hindered  the  Serbian  nation  from  becoming  a  powerful 
political  unit,  although  efforts  were  made  by  many  of  the 
rulers  to  realize  this  policy. 

In  1169  a  dynasty  destined  to  rule  Serbia  for  more  than 
two  centuries  (1169-1372)  within  ever-changing  political 
boundaries,  was  founded  by  the  celebrated  Grand  Djoupan 
Stephan  Nemanya  (1169-1196)  who  was  created  Duke 

3 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

(grand  djoupan)  of  Serbia  by  the  Byzantine  Emperor  after 
he  had  instigated  a  revolution,  the  result  of  which  was 
favourable   to   his    pretensions.      By    his    bravery    and 
wisdom  he  succeeded  not  only  in  uniting  under  his  rule 
the  provinces  held  by  his  predecessors,  but  also  in  adding 
those  which  never  had  been  Serbian  before,  and  he  placed 
Ban  Koulin,  an  ally,  upon  the  throne  of  Bosnia.     Further- 
more he  strengthened  the  orthodox  religion  in  his  state  by 
building   numerous   churches   and   monasteries,   and    by 
banishing  the  heretic  Bogoumils.1     Feeling  the  weakness 
of  advanced  age,  and  wishing  to  give  fresh  proof  of  his 
religious  faith  to  his  people,  the  aged  Nemanya  abdicated 
in  1196,  in  favour  of  his  able  second  son   Stevan,  and 
withdrew  into  a  monastery.     On  his  accession  in  the  year 
1217  Stevan  assumed  the  title  of  King  of  Serbia. 
When  the   crusaders  vanquished    Constantinople,    Sava, 
Stevan's    youngest    brother,    obtained    from   the   Greek 
patriarch  the  autonomy  of  the  Serbian  Church  (1219),  a°d 
became  the  first  Serbian  archbishop. 
Stevan  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Radoslav  (1223-1233), 
who  was  dethroned  by  his  brother  Vladislav  (1233-1242), 
who  was  removed  from  the  throne  by  his  third  brother 
Ourosh  the   Great  (1242-1276).     Ourosh  increased  his 
territory  and  established  the  reputation  of  Serbia  abroad. 
In   his   turn,  he  was  dethroned   by   his   son   Dragoutin 
(1276-1281),  who,  owing  to  the  failure  of   a  campaign 
against  the  Greeks,  retired  from  the  throne  in  favour  of  a 
younger  brother  Miloutin  (1281-1321),  reserving,  however, 
for  himself  a  province  in  the  north  of  the  State.     Soon 
afterward  Dragoutin  received  from  his  mother-in-law,  the 
queen  of  Hungary,  the  lands  between  the  Rivers  Danube 

1  Protestants   of  the  Greek  Orthodox  Church  who  later  settled   in 
Bosnia. 


Doushan  the  Powerful 

Sava  and  Drina,  and  assumed  the  title  of  King  of  \Sjrmjj 
Dragoutin,  while  still  alive,  yielded  his  throne  and  a  part 
of  his  lands  to  Miloutin,  and  another  part  remained  under 
the  suzerainty  of  the  King  of  Hungary.  Miloutin  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  remarkable  descendants  of 
Nemanya.  After  his  death  the  usual  discord  obtained 
concerning  the  succession  to  the  throne.  Order  was 
re-established  by  Miloutin's  son,  Stevan  Detchanski 
(1321-1331),  who  defeated  the  Bulgarians  in  the  famous 
battle  of  Velbouzd,  and  brought  the  whole  of  Bulgaria 
under  his  sway.  Bulgaria  remained  a  province  of  Serbia 
until  the  Ottoman  hordes  overpowered  both. 

Doushan  the  Powerful 

Stevan  Detchanski  was  dethroned  by  his  son  Doushan  the 
Powerful  (1331-1355),  the  most  notable  and  most  glorious 
of  all  Serbian  sovereigns.  He  aimed  to  establish  his  rule 
over  the  entire  Balkan  Peninsula,  and  having  succeeded 
in  overpowering  nearly  the  whole  of  the  Byzantine  Empire, 
except  Constantinople,  he  proclaimed  himself,  in  agree- 
ment with  the  Vlastela  (Assembly  of  Nobles),  Tsar  of 
Serbia.  He  elevated  the  Serbian  archbishopric  to  the 
dignity  of  the  patriarchate.  He  subdued  the  whole  of 
Albania  and  a  part  of  Greece,  while  Bulgaria  obeyed  him 
almost  as  a  vassal  state.  His  premature  death  (some 
historians  assert  that  he  was  poisoned  by  his  own 
ministers)  did  not  permit  him  to  realize  the  whole  of  his 
great  plan  for  Serbia,  and  under  the  rule  of  his  younger 
son  Ourosh  (1355-1371)  nearly  all  his  magnificent  work 
was  undone  owing  to  the  incessant  and  insatiable  greed 
of  the  powerful  nobles,  who  thus  jiaved  the  way  for  the 
Ottoman  invasion. 

Among   those   who   rebelled   against  the  new  Tsar  was 

5 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

King  Voukashin.  Together  with  his  brother  and  other 
lords,  he  held  almost  independently  the  whole  territory 
adjoining  Prizrend  to  the  south  of  the  mountain  Shar.1 
King  Voukashin  and  his  brother  were  defeated  in  a 
battle  with  the  Turks  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Maritza 
(1371),  and  all  Serbian  lands  to  the  south  of  Skoplye 
(Uskiib)  were  occupied  by  the  Turks. 

The  Royal  Prince  Marko 

The  same  year  Tsar  Ourosh  died,  and  Marko,  the  eldest 
son  of  King  Voukashin,  the  national  hero  of  whom  we 
shall  hear  much  in  this  book,  proclaimed  himself  King 
of  the  Serbians,  but  the  Vlastela  and  the  clergy  did  not 
recognize  his  accession.  They  elected  (A.D.  1371)  Knez  2 
(later  Tsar)  Lazar,  a  relative  of  Tsar  Doushan  the  Power- 
ful, to  be  the  ruler  of  Serbia,  and  Marko,  from  his 
principality  of  Prilip,  as  a  vassal  of  the  Sultan,  aided  the 
Turks  in  their  campaigns  against  the  Christians.  In  the 
year  1399  he  met  his  death  in  the  battle  of  Rovina,  in 
Roumania,  and  he  is  said  to  have  pronounced  these 
memorable  words :  "  May  God  grant  the  victory  to  the 
Christians,  even  if  I  have  to  perish  amongst  the  first ! " 
The  Serbian  people,  as  we  shall  see,  believe  that  he  did 
not  die,  but  lives  even  to-day. 

Knez  Lazar  ruled  from  1371  to  1389,  and  during  his 
reign  he  made  an  alliance  with  Ban3  Tvrtko  of  Bosnia 
against  the  Turks.  Ban  Tvrtko  proclaimed  himself  King 
of  Bosnia,  and  endeavoured  to  extend  his  power  in 
Hungary,  whilst  Knez  Lazar,  with  the  help  of  a  number 
of  Serbian  princes,  prepared  for  a  great  war  against  the 

1  See  the  poem  :  "  Tsar  Ourosh  and  his  Nobles,  or  :  The  Royal  Prince 

Marko  tells  whose  the  Empire  will  be." 

!  This  title  corresponds  to  '  prince.' 

3  '  Ban  '  is  the  original  title  of  the  rulers  of  Bosnia. 

6 


The  Royal  Prince  Marko 

Turks.  But  Sultan  Amourath,  informed  of  Lazar's 
intentions,  suddenly  attacked  the  Serbians  on  June  15 
1389,  on  the  field  of  Kossovo.  The  battle  was  furious  on 
both  sides,  and  at  noon  the  position  of  the  Serbians 
promised  ultimate  success  to  their  arms. 


The  Treachery  of  Brankovitch. 

There  was,  however,  treachery  in  the  Serbian  camp.  Vook 
(Wolf)  Brankovitch,  one  of  the  great  lords,  to  whom  was 
entrusted  one  wing  of  the  Serbian  army,  had  long  been 
jealous  of  his  sovereign.  Some  historians  state  that  he 
had  arranged  with  Sultan  Amourath  to  betray  his  master, 
in  return  for  the  promise  of  the  imperial  crown  of  Serbia, 
subject  to  the  Sultan's  overlordship.  At  a  critical 
moment  in  the  battle,  the  traitor  turned  his  horse  and  fled 
from  the  field,  followed  by  12,000  of  his  troops,  who 
believed  this  to  be  a  stratagem  intended  to  deceive  the 
Turks.  This  was  a  great  blow  to  the  Serbians,  and 
when,  later  in  the  day  the  Turks  were  reinforced  by  fresh 
troops  under  the  command  of  the  Sultan's  son,  Bajazet, 
the  Turkish  victory  was  complete.  Knez  Lazar  was  taken 
prisoner  and  beheaded,  and  the  Sultan  himself  perished 
by  the  hand  of  a  Serbian  voivode,1  Milosh  Obilitch. 
Notwithstanding  the  disaster,  in  which  Brankovitch 
also  perished,  the  Serbian  state  did  not  succumb  to  the 
Turks,  thanks  to  the  wisdom  and  bravery  of  Lazar's  son, 
Stevan  Lazarevitch  (1389-1427).  His  nephew,  Dyourady 
Brankovitch  (1427-1456),  also  fought  heroically,  but  was 
compelled,  inch  by  inch,  to  cede  his  state  to  the  Turks. 

1  Voivode  originally  meant  '  leader  of  an  army '  or  *  General.'  As  a 
title  of  nobility  it  corresponds  with  the  English  '  Duke,'  which,  derived 
from  the  Latin,  dux,  possesses  the  same  root  meaning. 

7 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Final  Success  of  the  Turks 
After  the  death  of  Dyourady  the  Serbian  nobles  could  not 
agree  concerning  his  successor,  and  in  the  disorder  that 
ensued  the  Turks  were  able  to  complete  their  conquest  of 
Serbia,  which  they  finally  achieved  by  1459.  Their  states- 
men now  set  themselves  the  task  of  inducing  the  Serbian 
peasantry  in  Bosnia,  by  promises  of  future  prosperity,  to  take 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Sultan,  and  in  this  they  were 
successful  during  the  reign  of  the  King  of  Bosnia,  Stevan 
Tomashevitch,  who  endeavoured  in  vain  to  secure  help 
from  the  Pope.  The  subjugation  of  Bosnia  was  an  accom- 
plished fact  by  1463,  and  Herzegovina  followed  by  1482. 
An  Albanian  chief  of  Serbian  origin,  George  Kas- 
triotovitch-Skander-Beg  (1443-1468),  successfully  fought, 
with  great  heroism,  for  the  liberty  of  Albania.  Eventually, 
however,  the  Turks  made  themselves  master  of  the 
country  as  well  as  of  all  Serbian  lands,  with  the  exception 
of  Montenegro,  which  they  never  could  subdue,  owing 
partly  to  the  incomparable  heroism  of  the  bravest 
Serbians — who  objected  to  live  under  Turkish  rule — and 
partly  to  the  mountainous  nature  of  the  country.  Many 
noble  Serbian  families  found  a  safe  refuge  in  that  land  of 
the  free ;  many  more  went  to  I^agusa  as  well  as  to  the 
Christian  Princes  of  Valahia  and  Moldavia.  The  cruel 
and  tyrannous  nature  of  Turkish  rule  forced  thousands  of 
families  to  emigrate  to  Hungary,  and  the  descendants  of 
these  people  may  be  found  to-day  in  Batchka,  Banat, 
Sirmia  and  Croatia.  Those  who  remained  in  Serbia  were 
either  forced  to  embrace  Islam  or  to  live  as  raya  (slaves), 
for  the  Turkish  j^&gjjTand-lords)  not  only  oppressed  the 
Christian  population,  but  confiscated  the  land  hitherto 
belonging  to  the  natives  of  the  soil. 
8 


Serbia  again  Subjugated 

The  Miseries  of  Turkish  Rule 

We  should  be  lengthening  this  retrospect  unduly  if  we 
were  to  describe  in  full  the  miserable  position  of  the 
vanquished  Christians,  and  so  we  must  conclude  by  giving 
merely  an  outline  of  the  modern  period. 
When  it  happens  that  a  certain  thing,  or  state  of  things, 
becomes  too  sharp,  or  acute,  a  change  of  some  sort  must 
necessarily  take  place.  As  the  Turkish  atrocities  reached 
their  culmination  at  the  end  of  the  XVffith  century, 
the  Serbians,  following  the  example  of  their  brothers  in 
Hungary  and  Montenegro,  gathered  around  a  leader  who 
was  sent  apparently  by  Providence  to  save  them  from  the 
shameful  oppression  of  their  Asiatic  lords.  That  leader, 
a  gifted  Serbian,  George  Petrovitch— designated  by  the 
Turks  Kamg£Qige»j(iBladLJIeorge-5) — gathered  around 
him  other  Serbian  notables,  and  a  general  insurrection 
occurred  in  1804.  The  Serbians  fought  successfully,  and 
established  the  independence  of  that  part  of  Serbia  com- 
prised in  the  pashalik  of  Belgrade  and  some  neighbour- 
ing  territory.  This  was  accomplished  only  by  dint  of 
great  sacrifices  and  through  the  characteristic  courage  of 
Serbian  warriors,  and  it  was  fated  to  endure  for  less  than 
ten  years. 

Serbia  again  Subjugated 

When  Europe  (and  more  particularly  Russia)  was 
engaged  in  the  war  against  Napoleon,  the  Turks  found  in 
the  pre-occupation  of  the  Great  Powers  the  opportunity  to 
retrieve  their  losses  and  Serbia  was  again  subjugated  in 
iSi^jGeorge  Petrovitch  and  other  Serbian  leaders  left  the 
country  to  seek  aid,  first  in  Austria,  and  later  in  Russia. 
In  their  absence,  Milosh  Obrenovitch,  one  of  Karageorge 

9 


Tales  ^P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 
Petrovitch's  lieutenants,  made  a  fresh  attempt  to  liberate  the 
Serbian  people  from  the  Turkish  yoke,  and  in  1815  was  suc- 
cessful in  re-establishing  the  autonomy  of  the  Belgrade 
pashalik.     During  the  progress  of  his  operations,  George 
Petrovitch  returned  to  Serbia  and  was  cruelly  assassinated 
by  order  of  Milosh  who  then  proclaimed  himself  hereditary 
prince  and  was  approved  as  such  by  the  Sublime  Porte  in 
October  1815.     Milosh  was  a  great  opponeniL-oLEussian 
policy  and  he  incurred  the  hostility  of  that  power  and  was 
forced  to  abdicate  in  1839  in  favour  of  his  son  JVliohel 
(Serbian  *  Mihaylo').     Michel  was  an  excellent  diplomat, 
and  had  previously  incorporated  within  the  independent 
state  of  Serbia  several  districts  without  shedding  blood. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Alexandre  Karageorgevitch  (1842- 
1860)  son  of  Karageorge  Petrovitch.     Under  the  prudent 
rule  of  that  prince,  Serbia  obtained  some  of  the  features  of 
a  modern  constitution  and  a  foundation  was  laid  for  further 
and  rapid  development.    But  an  unfortunate  foreign  policy, 
the  corruption  existing  among  the   high   dignitaries   of 
the  state  and  especially  the  treachery  of  Milosh's  apparent 
friends,  who  hoped  to  supplant  him,  forced  that  enlightened 
prince  to  abandon  the  throne  and  to  leave  his  country. 
The   Skoupshtina   (National   Assembly)  restored  Milosh 
but  the  same  year  the  prince  died   and  was    succeeded 
once   again  by  his  son   Michel   (1860-1868).      At    the 
assassination    of    this   prince   his   young   cousin,   Milan 
(1868-1889),  ruled  with  the  aid,  during  his  minority,  of 
three  regents,  in  conformity  of  a  Constitution  voted  in 
1869. 

The  principal  events  during  the  rule  of  Milan  were : 
the  war  against  Turkey  (1876-1878)  and  the  annexation 
of  four  new  districts;  the  acknowledgment  of  Serbian 
independence  by  the  famous  Treaty  of  Berlin;*  the 
10 


King  Peter  I 

proclamation  of  Serbia  as  a  kingdom  in  1882  ;  the  un- 
fortunate war  against  Bulgaria,  which  was  instigated  by 
Austria,  and   the  promulgation  of  a  new  Constitution, 
which,  slightly  modified,  is  still  in  force. 
After  the  abdication  of  King  Milan,  his  unworthy  son, 
Alexander,  ascended  the  throne.      Despite  the  vigorous 
advices  of  his  friends  and  the  severe  admonishments  of 
his  personal  friend   M.  Chedo  Miyatovich,    he   married 
his  former  mistress,  Draga  Mashin,  under  whose  influence 
he  entered  upon  a  period  of  tyranny  almost  Neronian  in  type. 
He  went  so  far  as  to  endeavour  to  abolish  the  Constitution, 
thus  completely  alienating  his  people  and  playing  into  the 
hands  of  his  personal  enemies,  who  finally  murdered  him 
(1903). 

King  Peter  I 

The  Skoupshtina  now  elected  the  son  of  Alexander 
Karageorgevitch,  the  present  King  Peter  I  Karageorge- 
vitch,  whose  glorious  rule  will  be  marked  with  golden 
letters  in  modern  Serbian  history,  for  it  is  to  him 
that  Christendom  owes  the  formation  of  the  league 
whereby  the  Turk  was  all  but  driven  from  Europe  in 
1913.  But,  alas!  the  Serbians  have  only  about  one-half 
of  their  lands  free,  the  rest  of  their  brethren  being  still 
under  the  foreign  yoke. 

Brief  as  is  this  retrospect  it  will  suffice  to  show  the 
circumstances  and  conditions  from  which  sprung  the 
Serbian  national  poetry  with  which  we  shall  be  largely 
concerned  in  the  following  pages.  The  legends  have  their 
roots  in  disasters  due  as  much  to  the  self-seeking  of 
Serbian  leaders  as  to  foreign  oppressors ;  but  national 
calamities  have  not  repressed  the  passionate  striving  of  a 

ii 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

high-souled  people  for  freedom,  and  these  dearly  loved 
hero  tales  of  the  Balkans  express  the  ideals  which  have 
inspired  the  Serbian  race  in  its  long  agony,  and  which  will 
continue  to  sustain  the  common  people  in  whatever  further 
disappointments  they  may  be  fated  to  suffer  ere  they  gain 
the  place  among  the  great  nations  which  their  persistence 
and  suffering  must  surely  win  in  the  end. 


12 


CHAPTER  II  :  SUPERSTITIOUS 
BELIEFS  ftP  NATIONAL 
CUSTOMS 

General  Characteristics 

THE  Serbians  inhabiting  the  present  kingdom  of 
Serbia,  having  been  mixed  with  the  ancient 
indigenous  population  of  the  Balkan  Peninsula, 
have  not  conserved  their  true  national  type.  They  have 
mostly  brown  visages  and  dark  hair;  very  rarely  are 
blonde  or  other  complexions  to  be  seen.  IJpshnyaks 
(Serbians,  inhabiting  Bosnia)  are  considered  to  be  the  most 
typical  Serbians,  they  having  most  strongly  retained  the 
national  characteristics  of  the  pure  Southern-Slavonic 
race.  The  average  Serbian  has  a  rather  lively  tempera- 
ment; he  is  highly  sensitive  and  very  emotional.  His 
enthusiasm  is  quickly  roused,  but  most  emotions  with 
him  are,  as  a  rule,  of  short  duration.  However,  he  is 
extremely  active  and  sometimes  persistent.  Truly  patriotic, 
he  is  always  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life  and  property  for 
national  interests,  which  he  understands  particularly  well, 
thanks  to  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  ancient  history  of 
his  people,  transmitted  to  him  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion through  the  pleasing  medium  of  popular  epic  poetry- 
composed  in  very  simple  decasyllabic  blank  verse — entirely 
Serbian  in  its  origin.  He  is  extremely  courageous  and 
always  ready  for  war.  Although  patriarchal  and  conserva- 
tive in  everything  national,  he  is  ready  and  willing  to 
accept  new  ideas.  But  he  has  remained  behind  other 
countries  in  agricultural  and  industrial  pursuits.  Very 
submissive  in  his  Zadrooga  *  and  obedient  to  his  superiors, 

1  The  male  members  of  a  Serbian  family  continue  to  live  after  marriage 
in  the  paternal  home.     If  the  house  is  too  smaU  to  accommodate  the 

13 


Tales  ftf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

he  is  often  despotic  when  elevated  to  power.  The  history 
of  all  the  Southern  Slavs  pictures  a  series  of  violations, 
depositions,  political  upheavals,  achieved  sometimes  by 
the  most  cruel  means  and  acts  of  treachery ;  all  mainly 
due  to  the  innate  and  hitherto  inexpugnable  faults  charac- 
teristic of  the  race,  such  as  jealousy  and  an  inordinate 
desire  for  power.  These  faults,  of  course,  have  been  most 
apparent  in  the  nobles,  hence  the  decay  of  the  ancient 
aristocracy  throughout  the  Balkans. 

Paganism  and  Religion 

There  is  available  but  slender  material  concerning  the 
pre-Christian  history  of  the  Southern-Slavonic  races,  and 
their  worship  of  Nature  has  not  been  adequately  studied. 
Immediately  after  the  Slavonic  immigration  into  the 
Balkan  Peninsula  during  the  seventh  and  eighth  centuries, 
Christianity,  which  was  already  deeply  rooted  in  the 
Byzantines,  easily  destroyed  the  ancient  faith.  The  last 
survivors  of  paganism  lived  in  the  western  part  of  the 
peninsula,  in  the  regions  round  the  river  Neretva,  and  these 
were  converted  to  Christianity  during  the  reign  of  BasiLJ. 
A  number  of  Croatians  had  been  converted  to  Christianity 
as  early  even  as  the  eleventh  century,  and  had  established 
an  episcopate  at  Agram  (Zagreb).  In  the  course  of  some 
thousand  years  Graeca-Oriental  myths  and  legends,  ancient 
Illyrian  and  Roman  propaganda  and  Christian  legends  and 
apocryphal  writings  exercised  so  great  an  influence  upon 
the  ancient  religions  of  the  Southern-Slavonic  peoples  that 
it  is  impossible  to  unravel  from  the  tangled  skein  of  such  evi- 
dence as  is  available  a  purely  Southern-Slavonic  mythology. 

young  couple,  an  annexe  is  built.  The  home  may  be  frequently  enlarged 
in  this  way,  and  as  many  as  eighty  members  of  a  family  have  been  known 
to  reside  together.  Such  family  associations  are  called  '  zadrooga.' 

14 


The  Sun  God 

The  God  Peroon 

Of  Ppronn,  fa?t  pussier*  Horl  r>f  ThnnrWj  by  whom  the  Rus- 
sian pagans  used  to  swear  in  their  treaties  and  conventions 
concluded  with  the  Byzantines  during  the  tenth  century, 
only  a  few  insignificant  traces  remain.  There  is  a  village 
named  '  Peroon  '  near  Spalato ;  a  small  number  of  persons 
in  Montenegro  bear  the  name; l  and  it  is  preserved  also  in 
the  name  of  a  plant,  '  Peroonika '  (iris),  which  is  dedicated 
to  the  god.  There  is  hardly  a  cottage-garden  in  the 
Serbian  villages  where  one  does  not  see  the  iris  growing 
by  the  side  of  the  house-leek  (Tchuvar-Koutchye).  The 
Serbians  say  that  the  god  lives  still  in  the  person  of  St.  Elias 
(Elijah),  and  Serbian  peasants  believe  that  this  saint 
possesses  the  power  of  controlling  lightning  and  thunder. 
They  also  believe  that  St.  Elias  has  a  sister  '  Ognyena 
Maria '  (Mary  the  Fiery  One),  who  frequently  acts  as  his 
counsellor. 

The  God  Volos 

From  the  Russian  God  of  Cattle,  '  VolosJ  the  city 
'  Veless '  has  obtained  its  name ;  also  a  village  in  the 
western  part  of  Serbia,  and  there  is  a  small  village  on 
the  lower  Danube  called  '  Velessnitza.'  But  the  closest 
derivative  appears  in  the  Serbian  word  'Vo,'  or  'VollJ 
(in  the  singular)  '  Volovi '  (in  the  plural)  which  means 
'Ox.' 

The  Sun  God 

Other    phenomena   of    Nature    were    also     personified 

and   venerated  as  gods.      The  Sun  god,  '  Daybog '    (in 

1  One  of  the  principal  characters  in  King  Nicholas's  drama  The  Empress 
of  the  Balkans  is  a  warrior  called  *  Peroon.' 

15 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Russian  '  Daszbog,5  meaning  literally  '  Give,  O  God  1 '), 
whose  idols  are  found  in  the  group  of  idols  in  Kief* 
and  whose  name  reappears  as  a  proper  name  of  persons 
in  Russia,  Moldavia  and  Poland,  is  to  the  Serbians 
the  personification  of  sunshine,  life,  prosperity  and,  in- 
deed, of  everything  good.  But  there  have  been  found 
no  remains  of  idols  representing  the  god  '  Daybog '  among 
the  Southern-Slavonic  nations,  as  with  the  Russians,  who 
made  figures  of  him  in  wood,  with  head  of  silver  and 
moustache  of  gold. 

The  Veele 

The  Serbian  legends  preserve  to  this  day  interesting  traces 
of  the  worship  of  those  pagan  gods  and  of  minor  deities — 
which  still  occupy  a  considerable  place  in  the  national 
superstition.  The  "  vv^ai "  and  "  TTOTQ/X/  "  mentioned  by 
the  Greek  historian  Procope,  as  inferior  female  divinities 
inhabiting  groves,  forests,  fountains,  springs  or  lakes, 
seem  to  have  been  retained  in  the  Serbian  popular  Veela 
(or  Vila — in  the  singular;  Veele  or  Vile — in  the  plural). 
There  are  several  fountains  called  "Vilin  Izvor"  in 
Montenegro  (e.g.  on  Mount  Kom),  as  also  in  the  district 
of  Rudnik  in  Serbia.  During  the  Renaissance  the  Serbian 
poets  of  Ragusa  and  other  cities  of  Dalmatia  made 
frequent  reference  to  the  nymphs^  dry  ads ,  and  oreads 
beloved  by  them  as  "  veele."  The  Serbian  bards  or 
troubadours  from  the  early  fourteenth  century  to  our  day 
have  ever  glorified  and  sung  of  the  veele,  describing  them 
as  very  beautiful  and  eternally  young,  robed  in  the  whitest 
and  finest  gauze,  with  shimmering  golden  hair  flowing 
down  over  snow-white  bosoms.  Veele  were  said  to  have 
the  most  sweet  voices  and  were  sometimes  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows.  Their  melodious  songs  were  often 
16 


The  Vcele 

heard  on  the  borders  of   the  lakes  or  in  the  meadows 
hidden  deep  in  the  forests,  or  on  high  mountain-peaks 
beyond  the  clouds.     They  also  loved  to  dance,  and  their 
rings  are  called  '  Vrzino  (or  Vilino)  Kollo.'     In  Mount 
Kom  in  Montenegro,  there  is  one  of  these  rings  which 
measures    about    twenty    metrea^across    and    is    called 
*  Vilino  Kollo.'     The  Treaty  of  Berlin  mentions  another 
situated  between  Vranya  and  Kustandil,  through  which 
ran   the    Serbo-Bulgarian    frontier.      When   veele   were 
dancing  nobody  dare  disturb   them,  for  they  could   be 
very  hostile  to  men.     Like  the  Greek  nymphs,  veele  could 
also  be  amicably  disposed  ;  and  on  occasions  they  assisted 
the  heroes.     They  could  become  the  sisters  of  men  and 
of  women,  and  could  even  marry  and  have  off-spring^.    But 
they  were  not  by  any  means  invulnerable.  J^Prince  Marko, 
the  favourite  hero   of  the  Serbians,  was-endowed  with 
superhuman   strength   by   a   veela   who    also    presented 
him   with  a   most  wonderful  courser,   '§ha£alz,'  which 
was,  indeed,  almost  human.     A  veela  also  became   his 
possestrima  (Spiritual  sister,  or  '  ^ister-in-Gnd ')  and  when 
Marko  was  in  urgent  need  of  help,  she  would  descend 
from  the  clouds  and  assist  him.     But  she  refused  to  aid 
him  if  he  fought  in  duels  on  Sundays.     On  one  occasion 1 
Marko  all  but  slew  the  Veela  Raviyoyla.  who  ^founded 
his  pobratim    (brofbfM^n-rwi)    VniVnH**   Mi'lnch  /    The 
veele  were  wise  in  the  use  of  herbs,  and  kne\vjtne  pro- 
perties of  every  flower   and   berry,  therefore  Raviyoyla 
could  heal  the  wounds  of  Milosh,  and  his  pierced  heart 
was  "  sounder  than  ever  before."     They  believed  in  God 
and  St.  John,  and  abhorred  the  Turk.     The  veele  also 
possessed  the  power  of  clairvoyance,  and  Prince  Marko's 
*  sister-in-God  '     prophesied     his    death     and     that     of 

1  See  "  Prince  Marko  and  the  Veela,"  page  102. 

B  17 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Sharatz.1  Veele  had  power  to  control  tempests  and  other 
phenomena  of  nature ;  they  could  change  themselves  into 
snakes  or  swans.  When  they  were  offended  they  could 
be  very  cruel ;  they  could  kill  or  take  away  the  senses  of 
any  who  threatened  them  with  violence ;  they  would  lead 
men  into  deep  waters  or  raze  in  a  night  magnificent 
buildings  and  fortresses.2 

To  veele  was  attributed  also  the  power  of  deciding  the 
destiny  of  newly  born  children.  On  the  seventh  night 
after  the  birth  of  a  child  the  Serbian  peasant  woman 
watches  carefully  for  the  Oossood,  a  veela  who  will  pro- 
nounce the  destiny  of  her  infant,  and  it  is  the  mother  only 
who  can  hear  the  voice  of  the  fairy. 

Predestination  and  Immortality 
The  Serbians  believe  firmly  in  predestination,  and  they 
say  that  "  there  is  no  death  without  the  appointed  day  " 
(Nema  smrti  bez  soodyena  dana).  They  believe  uni- 
versally in  the  immortality  of  thp  snnl.,  of  which  even 
otherwise  inanimate  objects,  such  as  forests,  lakes, 
mountains,  sometimes  partake.  After  the  death  of  a 
man,  the  soul  delays  its  departure  to  the  higher  or  lower 
spheres  until  the  expiration  of  a  certain  period  (usually 
forty  days),  during  which  time  it  floats  in  the  air,  and 
can  perhaps  enter  into  the  body  of  some  animal  or  insect. 

Good  and  Evil  Spirits 

Spirits  are  usually  good;  in  Montenegro  the  people 
believe  that  each  house  has  its  Guardian-Spirit,  whom 
they  call  syen  or  syenovik.  Such  syens  can  enter  into  the 
body  of  a  man,  a  dog,  a  snake,  or  even  a  hen.  In  the  like 

1  See  "The  Death  of  Marko,"  page  117. 

2  See  "The  Building  of  Skadar,"  page  198. 

it 


He  is  instantly  pursued  by  a  dense  fog 


Good  and  Evil  Spirits 

manner  every  forest,  lake,  and  mountain  has  each  its  syen, 
which  is  called  by  a  Turkish  word  djin.  So,  for  example, 
the  djin  of  the  mountain  Riyetchki  Kom,  near  the 
northern  side  of  the  lake  of  Scutari,  does  not  allow 
passers-by  to  touch  a  branch  or  a  leaf  in  the  perpetually 
green  woods  on  the  mountain  side,  and  if  any  traveller 
should  gather  as  much  as  a  flower  or  a  leaf  he  is  instantly 
pursued  by  a  dense  fog  and  perceives  miraculous  and 
terrifying  visions  in  the  air.  The  Albanians  dread  similar 
spirits  of  the  woods  in  the  region  round  Lurya,  where 
they  do  not  dare  touch  even  the  dry  branches  of  fallen 
firs  and  larches.  This  recalls  the  worship  of  sacred 
bushes  common  among  the  ancient  Lithuanians. 
Besides  the  good  spirits  there  appear  evil  spirits  (by ess), 
demons,  and  devils  (dyavd),  whom  the  Christians  con- 
sidered as  pagan  gods,  and  other  evil  spirits  (zli  doossi) 
too,  who  exist  in  the  bodies  of  dead  or  of  living  men. 
These  last  are  called  vookodlaks  or  Vlkodlaks  (i.e.  vook, 
meaning  *  wolf,'  and  dlaka,  meaning  '  hair  '),  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  popular  belief,  they  cause  solar  and  lunar 
eclipses.  This  recalls  the  old  Norse  belief  that  the  sun 
and  moon  were  continually  pursued  by  hungry  wolves,  a 
similar  attempt  to  explain  the  same  natural  phenomena. 
Even  to-day  Serbian  peasants  believe  that  eclipses  of  the 
sun  and  moon  are  caused  by  their  becoming  the  prey  of  a 
hungry  dragon,  who  tries  to  swallow  them.  In  other  parts 
of  Serbia  it  is  generally  believed  that  such  dragons  are 
female  beings.  These  mischievous  and  very  powerful 
creatures  are  credited  with  the  destruction  of  cornfields 
and  vineyards,  for  they  are  responsible  for  the  havoc 
wrought  by  the  hail-carrying  clouds.  When  the  peasants 
observe  a  partial  eclipse  of  the  moon  or  the  sun,  believing 
that  a  hailstorm  is  imminent,  they  gather  in  the  village 

19 


Tales  ftP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

streets,  and  all — men,  women,  and  children — beat  pots 
and  pans  together,  fire  pistols,  and  ring  bells  in  order  to 
frighten  away  the  threatening  monster.  ^^  /{c^Sv^tA 
In  Montenegro,  Herzegovina,  and  Bocca  Cattaro  the 
people  believe  that  the  soul  of  a  sleeping  man  is  wafted 
by  the  winds  to  the  summit  of  a  mountain,  and,  when  a 
number  of  such  has  assembled,  they  become  fierce  giants 
who  uproot  trees  to  use  as  clubs  and  hurl  rocks  and 
stones  at  one  another.  Their  hissing  and  groans  are 
heard  especially  during  the  nights  in  spring  and  autumn. 
Those  struggling  crowds  are  not  composed  merely  of 
human  souls,  but  include  the  spirits  of  many  animals, 
such  as  oxen,  dogs,  and  even  cocks,  but  oxen  especially 
join  in  the  struggles. 

Witches 

Female  evil  spirits  are  generally  called  veshtitze 
(singular,  veshtitza,  derived  obviously  from  the  ancient 
Bohemian  word  ved,  which  means  *  to  know '),  and  are 
supposed  to  be  oIcT" women  possessed  by  an  evil  spirit, 
i  ,  irreconcilably  hostile  to  men,  to  other  women,  and  most 
of  all  to  children.  They  correspond  more  or  less  to  the 
English  conception  of  *  witches.'  When  an  old  woman 

%  /  goes  to  sleep,  her  soul  leaves  her  body  and  wanders  about 
"  till  it  enters  the  body  of  a  hen  or,  more  frequently,  that  of 

&(A^  black  moth.  Flying  about,  it  enters  those  houses  where 
there  are  a  number  of  children,  for  its  favourite  food  is 
the  heart  of  an  infant.  From  time  to  time  veshtitze  meet 
to  take  their  supper  together  in  the  branches  of  some  tree. 
An  old  woman  having  the  attributes  of  a  witch  may  join 
such  meetings  after  having  complied  with  the  rules  pre- 
scribed by  the  experienced  veshtitze,  and  this  is  usually 
done  by  pronouncing  certain  stereotyped  phrases.  The 
20 


Vampires 

peasants  endeavour  to  discover  such  creatures,  and,  if 
they  succeed  in  finding  out  a  witch,  a  jury  is  hastily 
formed  and  is  given  full  power  to  sentence  her  to  death. 
One  of  the  most  certain  methods  used  to  discover  whether 
the  object  of  suspicion  is  really  a  witch  or  not,  is  to  throw 
the  victim  into  the  water,  for  if  she  floats  she  is  surely  a 
witch.  In  this  case  she  is  usually  burnt  to  death.  This 
test  was  not  unknown  in  England. 

Vampires 

The  belief  in  the  existence  of  vampires  is  universal 
throughout  the  Balkans,  and  indeed  it  is  not  uncommon 
in  certain  parts  of  western  Europe.  Some  assert  that 
this  superstition  must  be  connected  with  the  belief  generally 
held  in  the  Orthodox  Church  that  the  bodies  of  those  who 
have  died  while  under  excommunication  by  the  Church 
are  incorruptible,  and  such  bodies,  being  taken  possession 
of  by  evil  spirits,  appear  before  men  in  lonely  places  and 
murder  them.  In  Montenegro  vampires  are  called  lampirs 
or  tenatZ)  and  it  is  thought  that  they  suck  the  blood  of 
sleeping  men,  and  also  of  cattle  and  other  animals, 
returning  to  their  graves  after  their  nocturnal  excursions 
changed  into  mice.  In  order  to  discover  the  grave  where 
the  vampire  is,  the  Montenegrins  take  out  a  black  horse, 
without  blemish,  and  lead  it  to  the  cemetery.  The 
suspected  corpse  is  dug  up,  pierced  with  stakes  and 
burnt.  The  authorities,  of  course,  are  opposed  to  such 
superstitious  practices,  but  some  communities  have 
threatened  to  abandon  their  dwellings,  and  thus  leave 
whole  villages  deserted,  unless  allowed  to  ensure  their 
safety  in  their  own  way.  The  code  of  the  Emperor 
Doushan  the  Powerful  provides  that  a  village  in  which 
bodies  of  dead  persons  have  been  exhumed  and  burnt 

21 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

shall  be  punished  as  severely  as  if  a  murder  had  been 
committed  ;  and  that  a  resnik,  that  is,  the  priest  who 
officiates  at  a  ceremony  of  that  kind,  shall  be  anathe- 
matized. Militchevitch,  a  famous  Serbian  ethnographist, 
relates  an  incident  where  a  resnik,  as  late  as  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  read  prayers  out  of  the  apocrypha 
of  Peroon  when  an  exorcism  was  required.  The  revolting 
custom  has  been  completely  suppressed  in  Serbia.  In 
Montenegro  the  Archbishop  Peter  II.  endeavoured  to 
uproot  it,  but  without  entire  success.  In  Bosnia,  Istria 
and  Bulgaria  it  is  also  sometimes  heard  of.  The  belief 
in  vampires  is  a  superstition  widely  spread  throughout 
Roumania,  Albania  and  Greece.1 

Nature  Worship 

Even  in  our  own  day  there  are  traces  of  sun  and  moon 
worship,  and  many  Serbian  and  Bulgarian  poems  celebrate 
the  marriage  of  the  sun  and  the  moon,  and  sing  Danitza 
(the  morning  star)  and  Sedmoro  Bratye  ('The  Seven 
Brothers'  —  evidently  The  Pleiades).2  Every  man  has 
his  own  star,  which  appears  in  the  firmament  at  the 
moment  of  his  birth  and  is  extinguished  when  he  dies. 
Fire  and  lightning  are  also  worshipped.  It  is  common 
belief  that  the  earth  rests  on  water,  that  the  water  reposes 
on  a  fire  and  that  that  fire  again  is  upon  another  fire, 
which  is  called  Zmayevska  Vatra  ('  Fire  of  the 
Dragons  '). 

Similarly  the  worship  of  animals  has  been  preserved  to 
our  times.  The  Serbians  consider  the  bear  to  be  no  less 
than  a  man  who  has  been  punished  and  turned  into  an 


1  Monk  Marcus  of  Seres  Zqnprtc  Tree*  /SovAxoXa^wv,  ed.  Lambros  ;  N«'oe 
lEXX7/vo/iV)J//u;v  I  (1904),  336-352. 

2  '  Pleiades  '  are  otherwise  known  under  the  name  of  Sedam  Vlashitya. 
22 


Nature  Worship 

animal.  This  they  believe  because  the  bear  can  walk 
upright  as  a  man  does.  The  Montenegrins  consider  the 
jackal  (cants  aureus)  a  semi-human  being,  because  its 
howls  at  night  sound  like  the  wails  of  a  child.  The 
roedeer  (capreolus  capred)  is  supposed  to  be  guarded  by 
veele,  and  therefore  she  so  often  escapes  the  hunter.  In 
some  parts  of  Serbia  and  throughout  Montenegro  it  is  a 
sin  to  kill  a  fox,  or  a  bee. 

The  worship  of  certain  snakes  is  common  throughout  the 
Balkans.  In  Montenegro  the  people  believe  that  a  black 
snake  lives  in  a  hole  under  every  house,  and  if  anybody 
should  kill  it,  the  head  of  the  house  is  sure  to  die. 
Certain  water-snakes  with  fiery  heads  were  also  con- 
sidered of  the  same  importance  as  the  evil  dragons  (or 
hydra)  who,  at  one  time,  threatened  ships  sailing  on  the 
Lake  of  Scutari.  One  of  these  hydras  is  still  supposed  to 
live  in  the  Lake  of  Rikavatz,  in  the  deserted  mountains  of 
Eastern  Montenegro,  from  the  bottom  of  which  the  hidden 
monster  rises  out  of  the  water  from  time  to  time,  and 
returns  heralded  by  great  peals  of  thunder  and  flashes  of 
lightning. 

But  the  Southern  Slavs  do  not  represent  the  dragon  as 
the  Hellenes  did,  that  is  to  say  as  a  monster  in  the  form 
of  a  huge  lizard  or  serpent,  with  crested  head,  wings 
and  great  strong  claws,  for  they  know  this  outward 
form  is  merely  used  as  a  misleading  mask.  In  his 
true  character  a  dragon  is  a  handsome  youth,  possessing 
superhuman  strength  and  courage,  and  he  is  usually 
represented  as  in  love  with  some  beautiful  princess  or 
empress.1 

1  See  "The  Tsarina  Militza  and  the  Zmay  of  Yastrebatz,"  page  129. 

23 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Enchanters 

Among  celebrants  of  the  various  pagan  rites,  there  is 
mention  of  tcharobnitzi  (enchanters),  who  are  known  to 
have  lived  also  in  Russia,  where,  during  the  eleventh 
century,  they  sapped  the  new  Christianity.  The  Slavonic 
translation  of  the  Gospel  recognized  by  the  Church  in  the 
ninth  century  applies  the  name  '  tcharobnitzi  *  to  the  three 
Holy  Kings. 

To  this  same  category  belong  the  resnitzi  who,  as  is 
apparent  in  the  Emperor  Doushan's  Code  referred  to 
previously,  used  to  burn  the  bodies  of  the  dead.  Resnik^ 
which  appears  as  a  proper  name  in  Serbia,  Bosnia  and 
Croatia,  means,  according  to  all  evidence,  "  the  one  who 
is  searching  for  truth." 

Sacrificial  Rites 

From  translations  of  the  Greek  legends  of  the  saints,  the 
exact  terminology  of  the  sacrificial  ceremonies  and  the 
places  where  they  had  been  made  is  well  known.  Pro- 
copius  mentions  oxen  as  the  animals  generally  offered  for 
sacrifice,  but  we  find  that  calves,  goats,  and  sheep,  in 
addition  to  oxen,  were  used  by  the  Polapic  Slavs  and 
Lithuanians,  and  that,  according  to  Byzantine  authorities, 
the  Russians  used  even  birds  as  well.  In  Montenegro, 
on  the  occasion  of  raising  a  new  building,  a  ram  or  a 
cock  is  usually  slaughtered  in  order  that  a  corner-stone 
may  be  besprinkled  with  its  blood,  and,  at  the  ceremony 
of  inaugurating  a  new  fountain,  a  goat  is  killed.  Tradition 
tells  of  how  Prince  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch  once  shot  in  front 
of  a  cavern  an  uncommonly  big  wild  goat  that,  being 
quite  wet,  shook  water  from  its  skin  so  that  instantly 
a  river  began  to  flow  thence.  This  stream  is  called  even 
24 


Funeral  Customs 

now  the  River  of  Tzrnoyevitch.  The  story  reminds  one 
of  the  goats'  horns  and  bodies  of  goats  which  are  seen  on 
the  altar  dedicated  to  the  Illyrian  god,  Bind,  near  a 
fountain  in  the  province  of  Yapod. 

It  is  a  fact  that  Russians  and  Polapic  Slavs  used  to  offer 
human  sacrifices.  Mention  of  such  sacrifices  among  the 
Southern  Slavs  is  found  only  in  the  cycle  of  myths  relating 
to  certain  buildings,  which,  it  was  superstitiously  believed, 
could  be  completed  only  if  a  living  human  being  were 
buried  or  immured.  Such  legends  exist  among  the 
Serbians  and  Montenegrins  concerning  the  building  of 
the  fortress  Skadar  (Scutari)  and  the  bridge  near  Vishe- 
grad;  with  the  Bulgarians  in  reference  to  building  the 
fort  Lidga-Hyssar,  near  Plovdiv,  and  the  Kadi-Kopri 
(Turkish  for  *  the  bridge  of  the  judge ')  on  the  river 
Struma  ;  and  again  among  modern  Greeks  in  their  history 
of  the  bridge  on  the  river  Arta,  and  the  Roumanians  of 
the  church  'Curtea  de  Ardyesh.'  It  seems  very  likely 
that  certain  enigmatic  bas-reliefs,  representing  oval  human 
faces  with  just  the  eyes,  nose  and  mouth,  which  are  found 
concealed  under  the  cemented  surface  of  the  walls  of 
old  buildings  have  some  connexion  with  the  sacrificial 
practice  referred  to.  There  are  three  such  heads  in  the 
fortress  of  Prince  Dyouragy  Brankovitch  at  Smederevo 
(Semendria),  not  far  from  Belgrade,  on  the  inner  side  of 
the  middle  donjon  fronting  the  Danube,  and  two  others 
in  the  monastery  Rila  on  the  exterior  wall  close  to  the 
Doupitchka  Kapiya. 

Funeral  Customs 

During  the  siege  of  Constantinople  in  the  year  626,  the 
Southern  Slavs  burnt  the  bodies  of  their  dead.  The 
Russians  did  the  same  during  the  battles  near  Silistria, 

25 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

971,  and  subsequently  commemorative  services  were  held 
in  all  parts  of  Russia,  and  the  remains  of  the  dead  were 
buried. 

The  Slavs  of  north  Russia  used  to  keep  the  ashes  of  the 
dead  in  a  small  vessel,  which  they  would  place  on  a  pillar 
by  the  side  of  a  public  road ;  that  custom  persisted  with 
the  Vyatitchs  of  southern  Russia  as  late  as  noo. 
These  funeral  customs  have  been  retained  longest  by  the 
Lithuanians  ;  the  last  recorded  instance  of  a  pagan  burial 
was  when  Keystut,  brother  of  the  Grand  Duke  Olgerd, 
was  interred  in  the  year  1382,  that  is  to  say,  he  was 
burnt  together  with  his  horses  and  arms,  falcons  and 
hounds. 

There  are  in  existence  upright  stones,  mostly  heavy  slabs 
of  stone,  many  of  them  broken,  or  square  blocks  and  even 
columns,  which  were  called  in  the  Middle  Ages  kami,  or 
bileg,  and  now  stetyak  or  mramor.  Such  stones  are  to  be 
found  in  large  numbers  close  together;  for  example, 
there  are  over  6000  in  the  province  of  Vlassenitza,  and 
some  22,000  in  the  whole  of  Herzegovina;  some  can  be 
seen  also  in  Dalmatia,  for  instance,  in  Kanovli,  and  in 
Montenegro,  at  Nikshitch ;  in  Serbia,  however,  they  are 
found  only  in  Podrigne.  These  stones  are  usually 
decorated  with  figures,  which  appear  to  be  primitive 
imitations  of  the  work  of  Roman  sculptors :  arcades  on 
columns,  plant  designs,  trees,  swords  and  shields,  figures 
of  warriors  carrying  their  bows,  horsemen,  deer,  bears, 
wild-boars,  and  falcons;  there  are  also  oblong  represen- 
tations of  male  and  female  figures  dancing  together  and 
playing  games. 

The  symbol  of  the  Cross  indicates  the  presence  of 
Christianity.  Inscriptions  appear  only  after  the  eleventh 
century.  But  many  tombstones  plainly  had  their  origin  in 
26 


Classic  ^f  Mediaeval  Influence 

the  Middle  Ages.  Some  tombs,  situated  far  from  villages, 
are  described  by  man's  personal  name  in  the  chronicles 
relating  to  the  demarcations  of  territories,  for  example, 
Bolestino  Groblye  (the  cemetery  of  Bolestino)  near  Ipek ; 
Druzetin  Grob  (the  tomb  of  Druzet).  In  Konavla,  near 
Ragusa,  there  was  in  the  year  1420  a  certain  point  where 
important  cross-roads  met,  known  as  'Obugonov  Grob.' 
Even  in  our  day  there  is  a  tombstone  here  without 
inscription,  called  *  Obugagn  Greb.'  It  is  the  grave  of 
the  Governor  Obuganitch,  a  descendant  of  the  family  of 
Lyoubibratitch,  famous  in  the  fourteenth  century. 

Classic  and  Medieval  Influence 
When  paganism  had  disappeared,  the  Southern-Slavonic 
legends  received  many  elements  from  the  Greeks  and 
Romans.  There  are  references  to  the  Emperors  Trajan 
and  Diocletian  as  well  as  to  mythical  personages.  In  the 
Balkans,  Trajan  is  often  confused  with  the  Greek  king 
Midas.  In  the  year  1433  tne  Chevalier  Bertrandon  de  la 
Broquiere  heard  from  the  Greeks  at  Trajanople  that  this 
city  had  been  built  by  the  Emperor  Trajan,  who  had 
sheep's  ears.  The  historian  Tzetzes  also  mentions  that 
emperor's  sheeps-ears  (oma  rpdvov).  In  Serbian  legends 
the  Emperor  Trajan  seems  also  to  be  confused  with 
Daedalus,  for  he  is  given  war-wings  in  addition  to  the 
ears. 

To  the  cycle  of  mediaeval  myths  we  owe  also  the  djins 
(giants)  who  dwelt  in  caverns,  and  who  are  known  by  the 
Turkish  name  div — originally  Persian.  Notable  of  the 
divs  were  those  having  only  one  eye — who  may  be  called 
a  variety  of  cyclops — mentioned  also  in  Bulgarian,  Croatian 
and  Slovenian  mythology.  On  the  shores  of  the  river 
Moratcha,  in  Montenegro,  there  is  a  meadow  called 

27 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

*  Psoglavlya  Livada '  with  a  cavern  in  which  such  creatures 
are  said  to  have  lived  at  our  time. 

The  Spread  of  Christianity 

When  the  pagan  Slavs  occupied  the  Roman  provinces,  the 
Christian  region  was  limited  to  parts  of  the  Byzantine 
provinces.  In  Dalmatia  after  the  fall  of  Salona,  the  arch- 
bishopric of  Salona  was  transferred  to  Spalato  (Splyet), 
but  in  the  papal  bulls  of  the  ninth  century  it  continued 
always  to  be  styled  Salonitana  ecclesia,  and  it  claimed 
jurisdiction  over  the  entire  lands  as  far  as  the  Danube. 
According  to  Constantine  Porphyrogenete,  the  Serbians 
adopted  the  Christian  faith  at  two  different  periods,  first 
during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Heraclius,  who  had 
requested  the  Pope  to  send  a  number  of  priests  to  convert 
those  peoples  to  the  Christian  faith.  It  is  well  known, 
however,  that  the  Slavs  in  Dalmatia  even  during  the 
reign  of  Pope  John  IV.  (640-642)  remained  pagans.  No 
doubt  Christianity  spread  gradually  from  the  Roman 
cities  of  Dalmatia  to  the  various  Slav  provinces.  The 
Croatians  already  belonged  to  the  Roman  Church  at  the 
time  when  its  priests  were  converting  the  Servians  to 
Christianity  between  the  years  642  and  731,  i.e.,  after  the 
death  of  Pope  John  IV.  and  before  Leon  of  Isauria  had 
broken  off  his  relations  with  Rome. 

The  second  conversion  of  those  of  the  Southern  Slavs 
who  had  remained  pagans  was  effected,  about  879,  by  the 
Emperor  Basil  I. 

At  first  the  Christian  faith  spread  amongst  the  Southern 
Slavs  only  superficially,  because  the  people  could  not 
understand  Latin  prayers  and  ecclesiastical  books.  It 
took  root  much  more  firmly  and  rapidly  when  the  ancient 
Slavonic  language  was  used  in  the  church  services. 
28 


The  Spread  of  Christianity 

Owing  to  the  differences  arising  over  icons  and  the  form 
their  worship  should  take,  enthusiasm  for  the  conversion 
of  the  pagans  by  the  Latin  Church  considerably  lessened. 
In  the  Byzantine  provinces,  however,  there  was  no  need 
for  a  special  effort  to  be  made  to  the  people,  for  the 
Slavs  came  in  constant  contact  with  the  Greek  Christians, 
whose  beliefs  they  adopted  spontaneously. 
From  the  Slavonic  appellations  of  places  appearing  in 
certain  official  lists,  one  can  see  that  new  episcopates  were 
established  exclusively  for  the  Slavs  by  the  Greek  Church. 
The  bishops  conducted  their  services  in  Greek,  but  the 
priests  and  monks,  who  were  born  Slavs,  preached  and 
instructed  the  people  in  their  own  languages.  Thus  they 
prepared  the  ground  for  the  great  Slav  apostles. 
The  Slav  apostles  of  Salonica,  Cyrillos  and  his  elder 
brother  Methodius,  were  very  learned  men  and  philo- 
sophers. The  principal  of  the  two,  Cyrillos,  was  a  priest 
and  the  librarian  of  the  Patriarchate ;  in  addition  he  was 
a  professor  of  philosophy  in  the  University  of  the  Imperial 
Palace  at  Constantinople,  and  he  was  much  esteemed 
on  account  of  his  ecclesiastical  erudition.  Their  great 
work  began  in  862  with  the  mission  to  the  Emperor 
Michel  III.,  with  which  the  Moravian  Princes  Rastislav 
and  Svetopluk  entrusted  them. 

The  Moravians  were  already  converted  to  Christianity,  but 
they  wished  to  have  teachers  among  them  acquainted  with 
the  Slav  language.  Before  the  brothers  started  on  their 
journey,  Cyrillos  composed  the  Slav  alphabet  and  trans- 
lated the  Gospel. 

Thus  the  Servians  obtained  these  Holy  Books  written  in 
a  language  familiar  to  them,  and  the  doctrines  of  the 
great  Master  gradually,  but  steadily,  ousted  the  old, 
primitive  religion  which  had  taken  the  form  of  pure 

29 


Tales  ftP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Naturalism.  But  the  worship  of  Nature  could  not  com- 
pletely disappear,  and  has  not,  even  to  our  day,  vanished 
from  the  popular  creed  of  the  Balkans.  The  folk-lore  of 
those  nations  embody  an  abundance  of  religious  and 
superstitious  sentiment  and  rites  handed  down  from  pre- 
Christian  times,  for  after  many  years'  struggle  paganism 
was  only  partially  abolished  by  the  ritual  of  the  Latin  and 
afterwards  of  the  Greek  Christian  Church,  to  which  all 
Serbians,  including  the  natives  of  Montenegro,  Macedonia 
and  parts  of  Bosnia,  belong. 

Superstition 

The  foundations  of  the  Christian  faith  were  never  laid 
properly  in  the  Balkans  owing  to  the  lack  of   cultured 
priests,  and  this  reason,  and  the  fact  that  the  people  love 
to   cling   to   their   old  traditions,  probably  accounts  for 
religion  having  never  taken  a  very  deep  hold  on  them. 
Even    to   this   day  superstition   is   often   stronger   than 
religion,  or  sometimes  replaces  it  altogether.     The  whole 
daily  life  of  the  Southern  Slav  is  interwoven  with    all 
kinds    of    superstition.     He    is    superstitious   about   the 
manner  in  which  he  rises  in  the  morning  and  as  to  what 
he  sees  first ;  for  instance,  if  he  sees  a  monk,  he  is  sure  to 
have  an   unfortunate  day ;    when   he  builds  a  house,  a 
'  lucky  spot '  must  be  found  for  its  foundation.     At  night 
\  he  is  superstitious  about  the  way  he  lies  down ;  he  listens 
to  hear  if  the  cocks  crow  in  time,  and  if  the  dogs  bark 
much,  and  how  they  are  barking.    He  pays  great  attention 
j  to   the   moment  when  thunder  is  first  heard,  what  kind 
I  of  rain  falls,  how  the  stars  shine — whether  or  not  they 
shine  at  all,  and  looks  anxiously  to  see  if  the  moon  has  a 
halo,  and  if  the  sun  shines  through  a  cloud.     All  these 
things  are  portents  and  omens  to  his  superstitious  mind, 
30 


Superstition 

and   they  play  a   considerable   part   in   all   his    actions. 
When    he    intends   to  join    a    hunting    expedition,    for 
example,  he  decides  from   them  whether   there  will  be 
game  or  not;  he  believes  that  he  is  sure  to  shoot  some- 
thing if  his  wife,  or  sister  (or  any  other  good-natured 
person)  jumps  over  his  gun  before  he  calls  up  .his  dogs. 
Especially  there  are  numberless  superstitions  connected 
with    husbandry,    for    some    of    which    fairly    plausible 
explanations    could    be    given;     for    others,    however, 
explanations  are  hopelessly  unavailing,  and  the  reasons 
for  their  origin  are  totally  forgotten.     Nevertheless,  all 
superstitions  are  zealously  observed  because,  the  people 
say,  "  it  is  well  to  do  so,"  or  "  our  ancestors  always  did 
so  and  were  happy,  why  should  we  not  do  the  same?" 
The  planting  of  fruit-trees  and  the  growing  of  fruit  must 
be  aided  by  charms,  and  numerous  feasts  are  organized 
to  secure  a  fruitful  year,  or  to  prevent  floods,  hail,  drought, 
frost,  and  other  disasters.     But  undoubtedly  the  greatest 
number  of  superstitions  exist  regarding  the  daily  customs, 
most  of  which  refer  to  birth,  marriage  and  death.    Charms 
are  used  to  discover  a  future  bridegroom  or  bride ;  to 
make  a  young  man  fall  in  love  with  a  maid  or  vice  versd ; 
also,  if  it  seems  desirable,  to  make  them  hate  each  other. 
Sorcery  is  resorted  to  to  ensure  the  fulfilment  of  the  bride's 
wishes  with  regard  to  children  ;  their  number  and  sex  are 
decided  upon,  their  health  is  ensured  in  advance,  favour- 
able conditions  are  arranged  for  their  appearance.     Death 
can  come,  it  is  believed,  only  when  the  Archangel  Michael 
removes  a  soul  from  its  body,  and  that  can  only  happen  on 
the  appointed  day. 

The  chief  national  customs  of  the  Southern  Slavs  are 
involved  in  a  171  ass  of  nnprrntitinn  As  the  Serbians  are 
the  most  representative  of  the  Balkan  Slavs,  we  shall 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

consider  a  few  of  their  customs  in  order  to  show  how  little 
of  the  true  spirit  of  religion  is  to  be  found  in  some  of  their 
religious  observances. 

Marriage 

When  a  child  is  born  in  a  Serbian  family,  the  friends 
congratulate  the  parents  and  wish  for  them :  "  that  they 
may  live  to  see  the  green  wreaths,"  which  means  living  to 
see  their  child  married.  Marriages  are  most  frequent  in 
autumn,  especially  towards  Christmas,  and  more  rare  in 
summer.  When  parents  intend  to  find  a  bridegroom  for 
their  daughter  or  a  bride  for  their  son,  they  generally 
consider  the  question  thoroughly  for  a  whole  year  before- 
hand. They  take  their  daughter  or  son  to  various  social 
gatherings,  in  order  that  they  may  meet  one  suited  to 
become  the  husband  of  their  daughter  or  the  wife  of  their 
son.  When  a  daughter  is  informed  of  her  parents'  decision 
she  must  hasten  her  preparations :  she  must  see  that  the 
bochtchaluks  x  (wedding  presents),  which  she  has  to  dis- 
tribute among  the  wedding  guests  (svati  or  svatovi)  be 
finished  soon.  These  presents  are  articles  mostly  made  by 
her  own  hands,  such  as  socks,  stockings,  shirts,  towels, 
and  rugs.  Usually  the  house  is  put  into  good  order  and 
perhaps  enlarged  before  the  marriage,  and  when  all  the 
preparations  are  ready  the  rumour  of  her  approaching 
marriage  is  allowed  to  spread  through  the  village.  As 
marriages  are  usually  settled  by  the  parents,  love-matches, 
unfortunately,  are  rare,  and  elopements  are  regarded  as 
phenomenal.  There  are,  however,  cases  where  young 
people  are  not  docile  to  the  will  of  their  parents  with  regard 
to  marriage.  If  a  girl  has  fallen  in  love  with  a  young 
man,  she  may  have  recourse,  besides  usual  ways  and 
1  A  Serbian  word  of  Turkish  origin. 
32 


The  young  man  shakes  a  tree  three  times 


Marriage 

methods,    to    professional    enchantresses.      Among    the 
devices  recommended  by  these  friends  of  lovers  are  the 
following :  The  maiden  looks  through  the  muzzle  of  a 
roast  sucking-pig  (which  has  been  killed  for  the  Christmas 
festivities)  at  her  beloved,  whereupon  he  is  sure  to  grow 
madly  in  love  with  her ;  her  lover  is  bound  to  die  of  love 
for  her  if  she  sees  him  through  a  hole  made  in  a  cherry  or 
certain  other  fruit ;  she  is  equally  sure  to  gain  his  affec- 
tion if  she  can  succeed  in  finding  the  trace  of  his  right 
foot-print  and  turns  the  earth  under  it.     These  and  many 
other  kinds  of  sorcery  are  usually  practised  on  or  about 
St.  George's  Day  (23rd  of  April.  O.S.).      ffiyp4*ir  <&L 
Young  men,  too,  have  recourse  on  occasion  to  witchcraft 
when  they  desire  the  love  of  some  obdurate  maiden.     For 
instance,  if  at  midnight  on  a   certain  Friday  the  young 
man  goes  to  the  courtyard  of  the  dwelling  of  the  lady  of 
his  heart  and  there  shakes  a  tree  three  times,  uttering  as 
many  times  her  Christian  name,  she  is  absolutely  certain 
to  answer  his  call  and  to  reciprocate  his  love.     Another 
equally  infallible  method  is  for  him  to  catch  a  certain  fish 
and  to  let  it  die  near  his  heart;  then  to  roast  its  flesh 
until  it  is  burnt  to  a  cinder,  then  to  pound  this,  and  to 
place  the  powder  secretly  in  water  or  some  other  beverage. 
If  the  girl  can  be  induced  to  taste  of  it,  she  is  as  a  matter 
of  course  constrained  to   love  him.      These  expedients 
recall  the  famous  exploit  of  the  French  troubadour  Pierre 
Vidal  undertaken  to  win  the  love  of  his  beautiful  patroness 
Donna  Azalais  de  Baux.     A  magical  recipe  for  success  in 
love,  taken  from  an  Arabic  monument,  was  given  to  the 
poet  by  Hughes  de  Baux,  a  mischievous  young  knight  and 
brother-in-law  of  the  fair  Donna  Azalais ;  the  credulous 
Vidal  was  induced  to  ride  on  a  pig  one  moonlight  night 
three  times  round  the  castle  of  his  lady-love,  all  uncon- 

c  33 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

scious  that  his  waggish  friend  had  brought  all  the  inmates 
to  a  terrace  to  witness  his  ridiculous  exhibition. 

Marriage  Negotiations 

When  parents  have  chosen  their  son's  bride  they  send  to 
her  parents  a  fully  qualified  delegate  (navodagjyd)  to 
inquire  whether  or  not  they  would  consent  to  give  their 
daughter  to  the  young  man.  As  marriages  are  rarely 
concluded  without  the  aid  of  these  delegates  there  are 
numerous  persons  who  make  it  their  regular  profession  to 
negotiate  marriages,  and  they  receive  a  sum  of  money 
when  their  offices  are  successful.  In  addition  to  this  fee 
the  navodagjya  receives  from  the  future  bride  at  least  one 
pair  of  socks.  If  the  father  of  the  girl  is  not  agreeable  to 
the  proposal,  he  generally  does  not  give  a  decisive  reply, 
but  finds  some  pretext,  stating,  for  example,  that  his 
daughter  is  still  too  young,  or  that  she  is  not  quite  ready 
with  her  preparations  for  marriage ;  but  if  the  young  man 
appears  to  be  eligible  and  the  father  is  willing  to  give  his 
consent,  he  generally  answers  that  he  would  like  to  see  his 
daughter  married  to  such  an  excellent  man,  provided  the 
couple  be  fond  of  each  other.  Then  a  meeting  is  arranged, 
although  in  fact  this  is  merely  a  matter  of  form,  since  the 
final  decision  must  come  from  the  parents  themselves, 
irrespective  of  the  mutual  feelings  of  the  prospective 
husband  and  wife.  The  parents  ask  the  young  people  if 
they  like  one  another;  usually  an  affirmative  answer  is 
given,  whereupon  all  present  embrace  each  other,  and 
presents  are  exchanged,  both  between  the  parents  and 
between  the  future  husband  and  bride.  This  event  is 
often  celebrated  by  the  firing  of  pistols  and  guns,  in  order 
to  make  it  known  all  over  the  village  that  marriage 
festivities  are  soon  to  follow.  Soon  after  the  ceremony, 
34 


The  Wedding  Procession 

which  may  be  called  a  preliminary  betrothal,  the  parents 
of  the  bridegroom,  together  with  the  young  man  and  a 
few  most  intimate  friends,  pay  an  official  visit  to  the  house 
of  the  bride.  The  visit  usually  takes  place  in  the  evening, 
and,  after  the  bridegroom  has  given  the  bride  a  ring, 
festivities  begin  and  last  until  the  next  morning.  A  few 
days  later  the  bride  and  the  bridegroom  go  to  church, 
accompanied  by  a  few  friends,  and  the  priest  asks  them 
some  stereotyped  questions,  such  as :  "  Do  you  wish  to 
marry  of  your  own  free  will  ?  "  to  which  they  are,  so  to 
speak,  compelled  to  answer  "  Yes." 

The  Wedding  Procession 

A  week  before  the  wedding-day  both  families  prepare 
their  houses  for  numerous  guests,  whom  they  will  enter- 
tain most  hospitably  for  several  days.  Until  very  recent 
times,  if  the  bride  lived  in  some  distant  village  the 
wedding  procession  had  to  travel  for  several  days  to  fetch 
her,  and,  in  the  absence  of  good  roads  for  carriages,  the 
entire  party  had  to  ride  on  horseback.  The  wedding 
party  includes  the  dever l  (that  is,  leader  of  the  bride), 
who  remains  in  constant  attendance  upon  the  bride 
throughout  the  ceremonies,  being,  in  a  sense,  her  guar- 
dian; the  koom  (principal  witness,  who  in  due  course 
becomes  a  sort  of  sponsor  or  godfather  to  the  children) ; 
and  the  stari-svat^  who  is  the  second  witness  of  the 
wedding  ceremony.  Throughout  the  wedding  ceremonies 
the  koom  has  to  stand  behind  the  bridegroom  and  the 
stari-svat  behind  the  bride.  The  stari-svat  is  also  a  kind 
of  master  of  the  ceremonies  on  the  wedding-day ;  he 

1  This  personage  is  usually  a  brother  or  very  intimate  friend  of  the 
bridegroom.  He  corresponds  somewhat  to  the  'best  man'  at  an 
English  wedding,  but  his  functions  are  more  important,  as  will  be  seen. 

35 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

keeps  order  among  the  guests  and  presides  at  the  nuptial 
banquets.  With  the  dever  come  also  his  parents,  and 
the  koom  and  stari-svat  must  bring  one  servant  each,  to 
attend  them  during  the  ceremony.  These  two  witnesses 
must  provide  themselves  with  two  large  wax  candles, 
generally  adorned  with  transparent  silk  lace  and  flowers, 
which  they  must  present  to  the  bride  in  addition  to  many 
other  gifts. 

Before  the  procession  sets  out,  the  young  people  fire 
pistols,  sing,  and  dance,  whilst  the  elders  sit  and  take 
refreshment.  The  appearance  of  the  bridegroom  in  his 
bridal  garments,  and  wearing  flowers  in  his  hat,  is  the 
signal  for  the  traditional  nuptial  songs  from  a  chorus  of 
girls.  When  the  carriages  are  ready  to  start  they  sing 
the  following : 

"  A  falcon  flew  from  the  castle 
Bearing  a  letter  under  its  wing, 
Drops  the  letter  on  the  father's  knee 
See  !  Father  !  The  letter  tells  you 
That  thy  son  will  travel  far, 
Beyond  many  running  rivers, 
Through  many  verdant  forests, 
Till  he  brings  you  a  daughter[-in-law]." 

The  Tzigan  (Gipsy)  band  begins  its  joyful  melodies ;  the 
bridegroom,  the  standard-bearer,  and  other  young  people 
mount  their  horses,  all  gaily  bedecked  with  flowers,  and 
the  procession  starts  for  the  bride's  house,  the  equestrians 
riding,  generally,  two  and  two,  firing  pistols  and  singing. 
The  procession  is  always  led  by  a  frolicsome  youth  who 
carries  a  tchoutoura  (a  flat  wooden  vessel)  containing  red 
wine.  It  is  his  duty  to  offer  this  to  every  person  the 
wedding  party  may  meet  on  the  road,  and  he  is  privileged 
to  make,  during  the  wedding  festival,  jokes  and  witticisms 
at  the  expense  of  everybody.  He  enjoys  the  licence  of  a 
36 


The  Arrival 

court  jester  for  that  day,  and  nobody  must  resent  his 
witticisms,  which  are,  at  times,  indelicate  and  coarse. 
A  few  steps  behind  the  tchoutoura-bearer  ride  the  voivode 
(general,  or  leader),  whose  office  it  is  to  support  the 
former  in  his  sallies,  and  the  standard-bearer,  who  carries 
the  national  flag ;  after  them,  in  one  of  the  carriages  pro- 
fusely decorated  with  flowers,  ride  the  bridesmaids,  who 
are  selected  from  among  the  relatives  of  the  bridegroom. 
With  other  presents  the  maidens  carry  the  wedding  dress 
and  flowers  which  the  bridegroom's  father  has  bought  for 
his  future  daughter-in-law.  Immediately  following  the 
bridesmaids  rides  the  bridegroom  between  the  koom  and 
the  stari-svat.  Then  come  other  relatives  and  guests, 
two  and  two  in  procession.  At  times  these  wedding  pro- 
cessions offer  a  very  impressive  sight. 

The  Arrival 

When  the  wedding  procession  approaches  the  house  of  the 
bride,  its  arrival  is  announced  by  firing  off  pistols  and  guns, 
whereupon  a  number  of  girls  appear  and  sing  various  songs 
expressive  of  sorrow  at  the  bride's  departure  from  her  old 
home.  In  some  parts  of  Serbia  there  still  survives  a  strange 
old  custom;  the  bride's  father  requires  that  certain 
conditions  should  be  fulfilled  before  the  gates  of  the 
courtyard  are  opened  for  the  procession.  For  example,  he 
sends  a  good  wrestler  to  challenge  any  or  every  man  of  the 
bridegroom's  party,  and  one  of  the  wedding  guests  must 
overpower  the  challenger  before  the  gates  are  opened.  Of 
course,  the  wrestling  bout  is  not  serious,  as  a  rule.  Another 
condition,  obtaining  in  other  parts,  is  that  the  newcomers  are 
not  be  to  admitted  before  one  of  them,  by  firing  his  pistol, 
has  destroyed  a  pot  or  other  terra-cotta  vessel  fastened  at 
the  top  of  the  chimney. 

37 


Tales  <§f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

When  such,  or  other,  conditions  have  been  successfully 
negotiated,  the  wedding  party  is  admitted  to  the  house 
and  led  to  tables  loaded  with  roast  lamb  or  pork,  cakes, 
fruit,  wine  and  brandy.  The  bride's  father  places  the 
father  of  the  bridegroom  in  the  seat  of  honour,  and 
immediately  next  to  him  the  stari-svat,  then  the  koom 
and  then  the  bridegroom.  When  the  guests  are  seated,  a 
large  flat  cake  (pogatcha)  is  placed  before  the  bride- 
groom's father,  and  he  lays  upon  it  some  gold  coins;  it 
may  be  a  whole  chain  made  of  golden  ducats,  which  the 
bride  is  to  wear  later  round  her  neck.  His  example  is 
followed  immediately  by  the  stari-svat,  the  koom,  and  all 
the  other  guests.  Finally  the  bride's  father  brings  the 
dowry  which  he  has  determined  to  give  to  his  daughter 
and  lays  it  on  the  cake.  All  the  money  thus  collected  is 
handed  over  to  the  stari-svat,  who  will  give  it  in  due 
course  to  the  bride.  Next  the  bridesmaids  take  the 
wedding  dress  to  the  bride's  apartment,  where  they  adorn 
her  with  great  care  and  ceremony.  Her  toilet  finished, 
one  of  her  brothers,  or,  in  the  absence  of  a  brother,  one  of 
her  nearest  male  relatives,  takes  her  by  the  hand  and 
leads  her  to  the  assembled  family  and  friends.  The 
moment  she  appears,  the  wedding  guests  greet  her  with  a 
lively  fire  from  their  pistols,  and  the  bridesmaids  conduct 
her  to  the  bridegroom,  to  whom  she  presents  a  wreath  of 
flowers.  She  is  then  led  to  the  stari-svat  and  the  koom, 
whose  hands  she  kisses.  That  ordeal  concluded,  she 
goes  into  the  house,  where,  in  front  of  the  hearth,  sit  her 
parents  on  low  wooden  chairs.  There  she  prostrates 
herself,  kissing  the  floor  in  front  of  the  fire.  This  is 
obviously  a  relic  of  fire-worship ;  now,  however,  sym- 
bolical of  the  veneration  of  the  centre  of  family  life. 
When  she  rises,  the  maiden  kisses  the  hands  of  her  father 

38 


The  Return  from  Church 

and  mother,  who,  embracing  her,  give  her  their  blessing. 
Now  her  brother,  or  relative — as  the  case  may  be — escorts 
her  back  to  the  bridegroom's  party  and  there  delivers  her 
formally  to  the  dever,  who  from  that  moment  takes  charge 
of  her,  in  the  first  place  presenting  to  her  the  gifts  he  has 
brought. 

The  Return  from  Church 

After  they  have  feasted  the  guests  mount  their  horses  and, 
firing  tirelessly  their  pistols,  set  out  with  the  bride  for  the 
nearest  church.  When  the  religious  ceremony  is  over  the 
wedding  party  returns  to  the  bridegroom's  home,  and  the 
bride  has  to  alight  from  her  horse  (or  carriage)  upon  a 
sack  of  oats.  While  the  others  enter  the  courtyard 
through  the  principal  gate,  the  bride  usually  selects  some 
other  entrance,  for  she  fears  lest  she  may  be  bewitched. 
Immediately  she  enters,  the  members  of  the  bridegroom's 
family  bring  to  her  a  vessel  filled  with  various  kinds  of 
corn,  which  she  pours  out  on  the  ground  "  in  order  that 
the  year  may  be  fruitful."  Next  they  bring  her  a  male 
child  whom  she  kisses  and  raises  aloft  three  times.  She 
then  passes  into  the  house  holding  under  her  arms  loaves 
of  bread,  and  in  her  hands  bottles  of  red  wine — emblems 
of  wealth  and  prosperity. 

Although  the  wedding  guests  have  been  well  feasted  at 
the  bride's  house,  the  journey  has  renewed  their  appetites, 
therefore  they  seat  themselves  at  tables  in  the  same  order 
as  we  have  already  seen,  and  are  regaled  with  a  grand 
banquet.  Throughout  the  meal,  as  at  the  previous  one, 
the  voivodes  and  the  tchoutoura-bearer  poke  fun  and 
satire  at  the  expense  of  everybody.  These  mirthful 
effusions  are,  as  we  have  already  said,  not  generally  in 
very  good  taste,  but  no  one  takes  offence,  and  everybody 

39 


Tales  ftf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

laughs  heartily,  provided  there  be  wit  in  the  jokes.  After 
this  feast,  during  which  the  young  people  perform  the 
national  dances  (kollo)  and  sing  the  traditional  wedding 
songs,  the  dever  brings  the  bride  to  the  threshold  of  her 
apartment  (vayat)  and  delivers  her  to  the  koom,  who,  in 
his  turn,  leads  her  in,  places  her  hand  in  that  of  the 
bridegroom  and  leaves  them  alone.  The  guests,  however, 
often  remain  in  the  house,  until  dawn,  drinking  and 
singing. 

Slava  (or  Krsno  Ime) 

This  custom  is  considered  to  be  a  survival  of  the  times 
when  the  Serbians  were  first  converted  to  Christianity. 
Every  Serbian  family  has  one  day  in  the  year,  known  as 
slava,  generally  some  saint's  day,  when  there  are  performed 
certain  ceremonies  partly  of  a  religious  and  partly  of  a 
social  character.  The  saint  whom  the  head  of  the  family 
celebrates  as  his  patron,  or  tutelary  saint,  is  also  celebrated 
by  his  children  and  their  descendants. 
A  few  days  before  the  celebration  the  priest  comes  to  the 
house  of  every  svetchar — the  man  who  as  the  chief  of  the 
family  celebrates  the  saint — in  order  to  bless  the  water 
which  has  been  prepared  beforehand  for  that  purpose  in  a 
special  vessel ;  after  this  he  besprinkles  the  heads  of  all 
the  members  of  the  family  with  the  holy  water,  into  which 
he  has  dipped  a  small  sprig  of  basil.  Then  he  proceeds 
from  room  to  room  performing  the  same  ceremony  in 
each. 

In  order  to  please  their  tutelary  saint,  all  the  members  of 
the  family  fast  for  at  least  a  week  before  the  feast.  On 
the  eve  of  the  saint's  day  a  taper  is  lit  before  the  saint's 
image,  and  remains  burning  for  two  days.  One  or  two 
days  before  the  festival  the  women  prepare  a  kolatch  (a 
40 


The  Slava  Eve  Reception 

special  cake  made  of  wheat-flour)  which  measures  about 
fifteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  is  about  three  inches  thick. 
Its  surface  is  divided  into  quarters  by  being  marked  with 
a  cross,  each  quarter  bearing  a  shield  with  the  letters 
I. N.R.I.  In  the  centre  there  is  a  circle  in  which  is  a 
poskurnik  (monogram  of  these  initials).  Besides  the 
kolatch,  another  cake  of  white  wheat  well  boiled  and  mixed 
with  powdered  sugar,  chopped  nuts,  and  almonds,  is  made. 
This  is  called  kolyivo  (literally  "something  which  has 
been  killed  with  the  knife").  This  is  obviously  a  relic  of 
the  pagan  times  when  kolyivo  was  the  name  given  to 
animals  sacrificed  on  the  altar.  When  the  Serbians  were 
coverted  to  the  Christian  faith,  they  were  told  that  the 
Christian  God  and  His  saints  did  not  call  for  animal,  and 
still  less  for  human  sacrifice,  and  that  boiled  wheat  might 
serve  as  a  substitute.  And  it  is  interesting  to  find  that 
kolyivo  is  prepared  only  for  those  saints  whom  the  people 
believe  to  be  dead,  and  not  for  those  who  are  believed  to 
be  still  living,  such  as  St.  Elias  (Elijah),  the  patron  Saint 
of  Thunder,  or  the  "  Thunderer,"  the  Archangel  Michael 
and  certain  others,  for  it  is  emphatically  a  symbolic  offering 
for  the  dead. 

The  Slava  Eve  Reception 

On  the  eve  of  the  Slayji  <ja.y  enough  food  is  prepared  to 
last  for  the  two  following  days,  and  toward  sunset,  all  the 
tables  are  well  loaded  with  refreshments  in  readiness  for 
the  arrival  of  numerous  guests.  Friends  and  relations  are 
invited  to  come  by  a  messenger  especially  sent  out  from 
the  house.  There  are  several  stereotyped  forms  of  this 
invitation,  one  of  which  is  the  following :  "  My  father  (or 
my  uncle,  as  the  case  may  be)  has  sent  me  to  bring  you 
his  greetings  and  to  invite  you  to  our  house  this  evening 


Tales  ®f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

to  drink  a  glass  of  brandy.  We  wish  to  share  with  you 
the  blessings  bestowed  upon  us  by  God,  and  our  patron- 
saint.  We  entreat  you  to  come ! "  At  these  words  the 
messenger  hands  to  the  invited  guest  a  tchoutoura  filled 
with  red  wine  and  decorated  with  flowers,  out  of  which  the 
guest  is  obliged  to  take  a  little.  He  then  makes  the  sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  says :  "  I  thank  you,  and  may  your  Slava 
be  a  happy  and  prosperous  one!"  After  tasting  the 
wine,  he  continues :  "  We  will  do  our  best  to  come.  It  is 
simple  to  comply  with  your  wish,  since  we  are  invited  to 
share  such  an  honour."  He  invariably  pronounces  these 
words  whether  he  really  intends  to  accept  the  invitation 
or  not. 

In  the  meantime,  while  the  messenger  was  away  inviting 
guests,  the  women  of  the  household  have  been  making 
all  the  preparations  necessary  for  their  reception.  Each 
guest,  as  he  reaches  the  threshold  exclaims  :  "  O  master 
of  the  house,  art  thou  willing  to  receive  guests  ?  "  Hear- 
ing this  the  Svetchar  rushes  to  meet  the  guest  and  greets 
him  in  these  words :  "  Certainly  I  am,  and  may  there  be 
many  more  good  guests  such  as  thou  art !  "  Then  the 
guest  enters,  embraces  the  Svetchar  and  says  :  "  I  wish 
thee  a  most  pleasant  evening  and  a  happy  Slava  ! "  And 
then  as  a  matter  of  course  the  host  answers  :  "  I  thank 
thee,  and  welcome  thee  to  my  house !  "  In  the  same 
manner  the  other  guests  are  greeted.  When  they  have 
all  arrived,  the  host  invites  them  to  wash  their  hands — 
for  no  Serbian  peasant  would  ever  sit  down  to  take  food 
without  first  doing  so.  Then  the  host  shows  to  each  one 
his  place  at  the  table,  always  strictly  observing  precedence 
due  to  seniority. 

The  girls  of  the  house  first  pass  round  brandy  to  the 
assembled  guests  and  this,  at  least  in  the  winter,  has 
42 


The  Slava  Eve  Reception 

generally  been  warmed,  and  honey  or  sugar  has  been 
added.  While  that  is  being  served  all  the  guests  stand, 
and  in  silence  wait  reverently  for  the  ceremonies  of  the 
Slava  to  begin. 

The  host  places  in  the  middle  of  the  table  a  large  wax 
candle,  which  he  does  not  light  until  he  has  made  the  sign 
of  the  Cross  three  times.  Next  he  takes  an  earthen  vessel 
containing  a  few  embers,  places  in  it  a  few  small  pieces  of 
incense  and  then  lets  the  fragrance  ascend  to  the  icon,  which 
is,  according  to  custom,  occupying  the  place  of  honour  in 
the  room,  then  still  holding  the  cluser  he  stops  for  a  few 
moments  before  each  guest.  That  ceremony  being  ended, 
and  if  there  be  no  priest  present,  the  host  himself  invites 
his  guests  to  say  their  prayers  to  themselves.  A  great 
many  Serbian  peasants  are  gifted  with  the  power  of  offer- 
ing extemporal  prayers  and  they  are  always  in  request  at 
these  ceremonies.  The  host  passes  the  censer  to  his  wife, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that  the  fumes  of  the  incense  reach 
into  every  part  of  the  house.  Next  the  host  breaks 
silence  with  the  following  prayer:  "Let  us  pray,  O 
brethren,  most  reverently  to  the  Almighty  Lord,  our  God, 
and  to  the  Holy  Trinity !  O  Lord,  Thou  omnipotent 
and  gracious  Creator  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  deliver  us, 
we  pray  Thee,  from  all  unforeseen  evil  1  O,  St.  George  ! 
(here  he  adds  the  name  of  the  saint  whose  festival  they 
are  celebrating),  our  holy  patron-saint,  protect  us  and 
plead  for  us  with  the  Lord,  our  God,  we  here  gathered 
together  do  pray  Thee.  Ye  Holy  Apostles,  ye,  the  four 
Evangelists  and  pillars  upon  whom  rest  the  Heavens  and 
the  Earth,  we,  being  sinners,  do  conjure  ye  to  intercede  for 
us,"  and  so  on.  When  his  prayer  is  finished,  the  guests 
make  the  sign  of  the  Cross  several  times  and  then  supper 
begins. 

43 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Slava  Toasts 

During  the  first  two  or  three  courses,  the  guests  con- 
tinue to  drink  brandy,  and  wine  is  not  served  until  they 
have  partaken  of  meat.  At  the  drinking  of  the  first  glass 
of  wine  the  oldest  guest  or  whoever  enjoys  the  highest 
dignity  of  position  (generally  it  is  the  village  priest  or 
the  mayor)  proposes  the  first  toast,  of  which — as  well  as 
of  all  the  subsequent  ones — it  may  be  said  that  tradition  has 
ordered  the  exact  programme  to  be  followed  in  all  these 
proceedings,  and  even  prescribed  the  very  words  to  be  used. 
In  some  parts  of  Serbia  the  host  himself  proposes  the 
first  toast  to  the  most  distinguished  of  his  guests,  address- 
ing him  with :  "  I  beg  to  thank  you,  as  well  as  all  your 
brethren,  for  the  honour  which  you  graciously  show  me 
in  coming  to  my  Slava !  Let  us  drink  the  first  glass  to 
the  glory  of  the  gracious  God  1  Where  wine  is  drunk  in 
His  name,  may  prosperity  always  be !  "  The  principal 
guest  accepts  the  toast,  makes  the  sign  of  the  C'ross  and 
answers  in  such  words  as  the  following  :  "I  thank  you, 
most  kind  and  hospitable  host !  May  your  Slava  bring  you 
prosperity,  let  us  drink  this  second  glass  '  for  the  better 
hour.' "  The  third  toast  is  generally  "  To  the  glory  of 
the  Holy  Trinity !  "  (In  Serbian :  Tretya-sretya,  sve  u 
slavu  Svete  Troyitze!) 

In  some  parts  of  Serbia  there  are  commonly  seven  or  even 
more  toasts  to  be  drunk,  but  this  custom  shows,  fortunately, 
a  tendency  to  disappear. 

The  Ceremony  at  Church 

Next  morning  all  the  members  of  the  family  rise  very 

early  in  order  to   restore  order   in   the   house,   and   the 

Svetchar  goes  to  the  nearest  church,  taking  with  him  the 

44 


The  Slava  Feast 

kolyivo,  the  kolatch,  some  wine,  incense  and  a  wax 
candle.  All  these  things  he  places  in  front  of  the  altar 
where  they  must  remain  during  the  morning  service, 
after  which  the  officiating  priest  cuts  the  Slava  cake 
from  underneath  so  that  his  cuts  correspond  with  the 
lines  of  the  cross  shown  on  the  upper  surface.  Then  he 
breaks  the  cake  and  turns  it  in  a  circle  with  the  help  of 
the  Svetchar,  while  they  pronounce  certain  prayers  together. 
This  ceremony  ended,  the  host  takes  one  half  of  the  cake 
home  and  leaves  the  other  half  to  the  priest.  If  it  happens 
that  the  church  is  far  away,  and  time  does  not  allow  the 
host  to  absent  himself  long  from  home,  the  Slava  cake 
may  be  cut  in  halves  by  him  in  his  own  house  with  the 
help  of  his  male  guests,  chanting  all  the  while  certain 
formal  prayers  :  and  standing  in  a  circle  they  hold  the 
cake  so  that  a  thumb  of  each  guest  should  be  placed  on 
the  top  of  the  cake,  whilst  they  each  support  it  with  four 
fingers. 

The  Slava  Feast 

Toward  noon,  a  few  minutes  before  the  sun  reaches  his 
zenith,  a  part  of  the  Slava  cake  is  placed  upon  the  table 
together  with  a  lighted  wax  candle.  To  this  midday  meal 
many  more  guests  are  usually  invited  than  had  attended 
the  supper  on  the  previous  evening;  furthermore,  on  this 
day  even  a  stranger — whatever  his  religion  may  be — has 
the  right  to  enter  the  house  and  to  claim  hospitality. 
For  instance,  the  Royal  Prince  Marko  had  many  friends 
amongst  the  Turks,  and  they  would  invariably  come  to 
him  as  guests  on  his  Slava  day.  All  the  guests  rise 
together,  cross  themselves  with  great  reverence,  and,  in 
perfect  silence,  with  glasses  filled,  they  await  the  address 
to  be  made  by  the  Svetchar.  Again  three,  or  perhaps 

45 


Tales  ftP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

more,  toasts  are  proposed  and  accepted,  and,  of  course, 
as  many  times  are  the  glasses  again  emptied  and  re-filled 
before  the  '  midday '  meal  is  even  begun.  Eating  and 
drinking,  in  all  cases,  "  to  the  glory  of  God,  the  Holy 
Trinity,  to  the  Holy  Slava  "  and  so  forth  continue  till 
late  at  night,  when  the  guests  remember  that  it  is  time 
to  go  home.  Many,  however,  remain  in  the  house  all 
night  and  for  the  next  day.  Some  devotees  of  good  wine 
used  actually  to  remain,  on  occasions,  for  three  whole 
consecutive  days  and  nights.  This  very  extreme  devotion 
to  the  saints  has  been  practised  more  especially  at  Nish, 
and  in  that  neighbourhood,  and  has  furnished  the  cele- 
brated Serbian  novelist  Stefan  Strematz,  with  abundant 
material  for  one  of  the  finest,  as  it  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
the  wittiest,  novels  that  has  been  written  in  Serbian. 

Christmas  Eve 

Another  festival,  which  the  Serbians,  like  other  nations, 
conduct  with  many  rites  and  customs  of  unmistakably 
pagan  origin  and  which  fills  the  hearts  of  all  with  joy,  is 
Christmas.  It  is  a  saying  of  the  Serbian  people  that 
"  there  is  no  day  without  light — neither  is  there  any  real 
joy  without  Christmas." 

The  Serbian  peasant  is,  as  a  general  rule,  an  early  riser, 
but  on  Christmas  Eve  (Badgni  dan)  everybody  is  up 
earlier  than  usual,  for  it  is  a  day  when  each  member  of 
the  household  has  his  hands  full  of  work  to  be  done. 
Two  or  more  of  the  young  men  are  sent  out  from  every 
house  to  the  nearest  forest1  to  cut,  and  bring  home,  a 

1  Forests  have  been  considered  until  recently  as  the  common  property 
of  all.  Even  in  our  day  every  peasant  is  at  liberty  to  cut  a  Badgnak- 
tree  in  any  forest  he  chooses,  though  it  may  be  the  property  ot 
strangers. 

46 


Christmas  Eve 

young  oak  tree,  which  is  called  Badgnak.  (The  etymology 
of  this  word  is  obscure,  but  it  is  probably  the  name,  or 
derived  from  the  name,  of  a  pagan  god.)  When  the 
young  man  who  is  to  cut  the  tree  has  selected  it,  he 
kneels  down,  and  murmuring  words  of  greeting  and 
uttering  a  special  prayer,  he  throws  at  it  a  handful  of 
wheat  or  corn ;  then  he  makes  the  sign  of  the  Cross  three 
times  and  begins  carefully  to  cut  in  such  a  direction  that 
the  tree  must  necessarily  fall  toward  the  East,  and  at 
just  about  the  moment  when  the  sun  first  shows  himself 
above  the  horizon.  He  has  also  to  see  that  the  tree  does 
not  touch,  in  falling  to  earth,  the  branches  of  any  tree  near 
it,  otherwise  the  prosperity  of  his  house  would  most  surely 
be  disturbed  during  the  ensuing  year.  The  trunk  of  the 
tree  is  now  cut  into  three  logs,  one  of  which  is  rather 
longer  than  the  others. 

Toward  evening,  when  everything  is  ready  and  all  the 
members  of  the  family  are  assembled  in  the  kitchen,  the 
chief  room  in  the  dwelling,  a  large  fire  is  lit,  and  the  head  of 
the  family  solemnly  carries  in  the  Badgnak,  and,  placing  it 
on  the  fire,  so  that  the  thicker  end  is  left  about  twelve  inches 
beyond  the  hearth,  he  pronounces  in  a  loud  voice  his  good 
wishes  for  the  prosperity  of  the  house  and  all  within  it. 
In  the  same  way  he  brings  in  the  other  parts  of  the 
Badgnak,  and,  when  all  are  in  a  blaze,  the  young 
shepherds  embrace  across  the  largest  log,  for  they  believe 
that  by  doing  so  they  will  ensure  the  attachment  of  the 
sheep  to  their  lambs,  of  the  cows  to  their  calves,  and  of 
all  other  animals  to  their  young. 

At  this  point  of  the  proceedings  the  oldest  member  of  the 
family  brings  in  a  bundle  of  straw  and  hands  it  over  to 
the  housewife,  to  whom  he  wishes  at  the  same  time  "a 
good  evening  and  a  happy  Badgni  dan."  She  then  throws 

47 


Tales  <§?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

a  handful  of  corn  at  him,  thanks  him  for  the  straw  and 
starts  walking  about  the  kitchen  and  the  adjoining  rooms, 
scattering  straw  on  the  floor  and  imitating  the  clucking 
of  hens,  while  the  children  gleefully  follow  her  and 
imitate  the  sounds  made  by  young  chicks. 
This  finished,  the  mother  has  next  to  bring  a  yellow  wax 
candle  and  an  earthen  vessel  filled  with  burning  coal. 
The  father  again  reverently  makes  the  sign  of  the  Cross, 
lights  the  candle  and  places  some  incense  on  the  embers. 
Meanwhile  the  rest  of  the  family  have  already  formed 
themselves  into  a  semi-circle,  with  the  men  standing  on 
the  right  and  the  women  on  the  left.  The  father  now 
proceeds  to  say  prayers  aloud,  walking  from  one  end  of 
the  semi-circle  to  the  other  and  stopping  in  front  of  each 
person  for  a  short  space  of  time  that  the  fumes  of  smoking 
incense,  in  the  incenser,  held  in  his  right  hand,  should 
rise  to  the  face  of  every  one  in  turn.  The  prayers  which 
they  utter  on  these  occasions  last  for  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes,  and  vary  in  nearly  every  district. 
After  the  prayers  they  all  sit  down  to  supper,  which  is 
laid,  not  upon  a  table,  but  on  the  floor,  for  it  is  considered 
a  good  orthodox  custom  to  lay  sacks  over  the  stone  or 
clay  of  which  the  floor  is  formed,  and  to  use  cushions 
instead  of  chairs  on  Christmas  Eve.  During  supper,  at 
which  no  meat  is  served,  the  father  of  the  family  enthu- 
siastically toasts  the  Badgnak,  expressing  at  the  same 
time  his  wishes  for  their  common  prosperity  for  the  new 
year,  and  pours  a  glass  of  wine  over  the  protruding  end 
of  the  log.  In  many  parts  of  Serbia  all  the  peasants — 
men,  women,  and  even  small  children — fast  for  the  forty- 
five  days  immediately  before  Christmas.  They  abstain 
from  meat,  eggs,  and  milk-food,  and  eat  simply  vegetables 
and  fruit. 
48 


The  children  gleefully  follow  her 


Christmas  Day 

When  the  supper  is  over  the  whole  family  retires  to  bed, 
except  one  of  the  young  men,  who  remains  near  the  fire  to 
see  that  the  Badgnak  does  not  burn  off  completely,  and 
that  the  fire  is  not  extinguished. 

Christmas  Day 

It  is  generally  believed  that  the  rites  and  customs  con- 
cerning this  Church  festival,  which  we  Serbians  call  in 
our  own  language  Bojitch^  meaning  'the  little  God/  is 
nothing  but  the  modified  worship  of  the  pagan  god  Dabog 
(or  Daybog),  to  whom  we  have  already  referred,  or  perhaps 
represents  several  forms  of  that  worship.  Our  pagan 
ancestors  used  to  sacrifice  a  pig  to  their  Sun-god,  and  in 
our  day  there  is  not  a  single  house  throughout  Serbia  in 
which  "  roast  pork  "  is  not  served  on  Christmas  Day  as  a 
matter  of  course.  The  men  and  boys  of  each  household 
rise  very  early  in  the  morning  that  day  to  make  a  big 
fire  in  the  courtyard,  and  to  roast  a  sucking-pig  on  a  spit, 
for  which  all  preparations  are  made  on  Badgni  dan.  The 
moment  each  little  pig  is  placed  at  the  fire  there  is  a 
vigorous  firing  of  pistols  or  rifles  to  greet  it,  showing  by 
the  sound  of  shot  after  shot  that  the  whole  village  is  astir. 
As  nearly  all  the  houses  in  a  village  practise  the  same 
custom  most  zealously,  and  as  naturally  every  youth  con- 
siders it  a  part  of  his  duty  to  fire  a  pistol,  the  neighbour- 
ing hills  echo  again  and  again  as  if  persistent  skirmishing 
were  going  on. 

Still  early  in  the  morning  one  of  the  maidens  goes  to  the 
public  well  to  fetch  some  drinking  water,  and  when  she 
reaches  the  well  she  greets  it,  wishing  it  a  happy  Christmas, 
throwing  at  the  same  time  into  it  a  handful  of  corn  and  a 
bunch,  or  perhaps  merely  a  sprig,  of  basil.  She  throws  the 
corn  in  the  hope  that  the  crops  may  be  as  abundant  as 

D  49 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

water,  and  the  basil  is  to  keep  the  water  always  limpid 
and  pure.  The  first  cupful  of  the  water  she  draws  is 
used  to  make  a  cake  (Thesnitza)  to  be  broken  at  the 
midday  meal  into  as  many  pieces  as  there  are  members  of 
the  household.  A  silver  coin  has  been  put  into  the 
dough,  and  the  person  who  finds  it  in  his  piece  of  cake  is 
considered  as  the  favourite  of  fortune  for  the  year  to 
come. 

During  the  morning  every  house  expects  a  visitor  (polaz- 
nik), who  is  usually  a  young  boy  from  a  neighbouring 
house.  When  the  polaznik  enters  the  house  he  breaks  off 
a  small  branch  of  the  Badgnak's  smouldering  end,  and  while 
he  is  greeting  the  head  of  the  house  with  *  Christ  is  born !  ' 
and  all  the  others  are  answering  him  with  a  cry  of  '  In 
truth  He  is  born  ! '  the  mother  throws  at  him  a  handful  of 
wheat.  He  then  approaches  the  hearth,  and  strikes  the 
Badgnak  with  his  own  piece  of  tree  repeatedly,  so  that 
thousands  of  sparks  fly  up  into  the  chimney,  and  he  pro- 
nounces his  good  wishes :  "  May  the  holy  Christmas  bring 
to  this  house  as  many  sheep,  as  many  horses,  as  many 
cows,  as  many  beehives,  [and  so  forth,]  as  there  are  sparks 
in  this  fire  ! "  Then  he  places  on  the  Badgnak  either  a 
silver  or  a  gold  coin,  which  the  head  of  the  family  keeps 
to  give  to  the  blacksmith  to  smelt  in  with  the  steel  when 
making  his  new  plough — for,  as  he  believes,  this  cannot 
fail  to  make  the  ground  more  fertile  and  all  go  well.  The 
polaznik  is,  of  course,  made  to  stay  and  share  the  meal 
with  them,  and  afterwards  he  is  presented  with  a  special 
cake  also  containing  a  coin,  sometimes  a  gold  one,  some- 
times silver. 

After  the  repast  all  the  youths  go  out  of  doors  for  sports, 
especially  for  sleighing,  while  the  older  people  gather 
together  around  a  goo  star  (a  national  bard),  and  take 

50 


The  Dodola  Rite 

much,  even  endless,  delight  in  listening  to  his  recitals  of 
their  ancient  ballads. 

The  Dodola  Rite 

The  disasters  which  Serbian  peasants  most  fear  are  of  two 
kinds — drought  and  very  violent  storms.  In  pagan  times 
there  was  a  goddess  who,  it  is  believed,  ruled  the  waters 
and  the  rain.  When  the  Serbians  were  first  converted  to 
Christianity,  the  power  of  controlling  the  ocean,  rivers, 
and  storms,  and  the  sailing  of  ships  at  sea  was  attributed 
to  St.  Nicholas,  and  the  Dalmatians,  sea-going  men,  still 
pray  only  to  him  ;  whereas  in  the  heart  of  Serbia, 
where  the  peasants  have  no  conception  of  what  large 
navigable  rivers  are,  still  less  of  what  seas  and  lakes  are 
like,  recourse  is  taken  to  the  favourite  goddess  Doda  or 
Dodola  whenever  there  is  an  unduly  long  spell  of  dry 
weather. 

The  Dodola  rite  is  a  peculiar  one.  A  maiden,  generally 
a  Gipsy,  is  divested  of  her  usual  garments  and  then 
thickly  wrapped  round  with  grass  and  flowers  so  that  she 
is  almost  concealed  beneath  them.  She  wears  a  wide 
wreath  of  willow  branches  interwoven  with  wild  flowers 
around  her  waist  and  hips,  and  in  such  fantastic  attire  she 
has  to  go  from  house  to  house  in  the  village  dancing, 
while  each  housewife  pours  over  her  a  pailful  of  water, 
and  her  companions  chant  a  prayer  having  the  refrain, 
Oy  Dodo>  oy  Dodole  after  every  single  line : 

Fall,  O  rain  !  and  gentlest  dew  ! 

Oy,  Dodo  !  Oy,  Dodole  ! 
Refresh  our  pasture-lands  and  fields  ! 

Oy,  Dodo !  Oy,  Dodole ! 

In  each  verse  that  follows  mention  is  made  of  a  cereal  or 
other  plant,  imploring  Doda  that  rain  may  soon  be  shed 


Tales  ftf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

upon  it.  Then  the  cottage  women  give  them  presents,  either 
food  or  money,  and  the  maidens  sing  other  songs  for  them, 
always  in  the  same  rhythm,  give  their  thanks,  offer  good 
wishes,  and  are  gone. 

-v 

-?     1 

Whitsuntide 

During  the  Whitsuntide  festivities,  about  fifteen  young 
girls,  mostly  Christian  Gipsies,  one  of  whom  personates 
the  Standard-bearer,  another  the  King,  and  another  the 
Queen  (kralyitza),  veiled  and  attended  by  a  number  of 
Maids  of  Honour,  pass  from  door  to  door  through  the 
village,  singing  and  dancing.  Their  songs  relate  to  such 
subjects  as  marriage,  the  choice  of  a  husband  or  wife,  the 
happiness  of  wedded  life,  the  blessing  of  having  children. 
After  each  verse  of  their  songs  follows  a  refrain,  Lado,  oy> 
Lado-leh !  which  is  probably  the  name  of  the  ancient 
Slavonic  Deity  of  Love. 

Palm  Sunday 

"  In  winter,  just  before  Lent,  the  great  festival  in  honour 
of  the  Dead  is  celebrated,  at  which  every  one  solemnizes 
the  memory  of  departed  relations  and  friends,  and  no 
sooner  does  Palm  Sunday  arrive  than  the  people  join  in 
commemorating  the  renovation  of  life. 
On  the  preceding  Saturday  the  maidens  assemble  on  a 
hill,  and  recite  poems  on  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus; 
and  on  Sunday,  before  sunrise,  they  meet  at  the  place 
where  they  draw  water  and  dance  their  country  dance 
(kollo),  chanting  a  song,  which  relates  how  the  water 
becomes  dull  by  the  antlers  of  a  stag,  and  bright  by  his 
eye."1 

1  Quoted  from  the  historian  Leopold  von  Ranke. 
52 


St.  George's  Day 

Sf.  George's  Day 

On  St.  George's  Day,  April  23rd  (DyourdyevDari),  long 
before  dawn,  all  the  members  of  a  Serbian  family  rise  and 
take  a  bath  in  the  water,  in  which  a  number  of  herbs  and 
flowers — each  possessing  its  own  peculiar  signification — 
have  been  cast  before  sunset  the  preceding  day.  He  who 
fails  to  get  up  in  good  time,  and  whom  the  sun  surprises 
in  bed,  is  said  to  have  fallen  in  disgrace  with  St.  George, 
and  he  will  consequently  have  little  or  no  luck  in  any  of 
his  undertakings  for  the  next  twelve  months.  This  rite  is 
taken  as  a  sign  that  the  Serbian  peasants  yield  to  the 
many  influences  of  newly  awakened  nature. 
It  will  be  seen  by  anyone  who  studies  the  matter  that  each 
season  in  turn  prompts  the  Serbians,  as  it  must  prompt 
any  simple  primitive  people,  to  observe  rites  pointing  to 
the  mysterious  relation  in  which  man  finds  that  he  stands 
to  nature. 


53 


CHAPTER  III  :  SERBIAN  NATIONAL 
EPIC  POETRY 

The  Importance  of  the  Ballads 

THAT  the  Serbian  people — as  a  distinct  Slav  and 
Christian  nationality — did  not  succumb  altogether 
to  the  Ottoman  oppressor;  that  through  nearly 
five  centuries  of  subjection  to  the  Turk  the  Southern 
Slavs  retained  a  deep  consciousness  of  their  national 
ideals,  is  due  in  a  very  large  measure  to  the  Serbian 
national  poetry,  which  has  kept  alive  in  the  hearts  of  the 
Balkan  Christians  deep  hatred  of  the  Turk,  and  has  given 
birth,  among  the  oppressed  Slavs,  to  the  sentiment  of  a 
common  misfortune  and  led  to  the  possibility  of  a  collective 
effort  which  issued  in  the  defeat  of  the  Turk  on  the 
battlefields  of  Koumanovo,  Monastir,  Prilip,  Prizrend, 
Kirk-Kilisse,  and  Scutari. 

Who  has  written  those  poems  ?  We  might  as  well  ask, 
who  is  the  author  of  the  Iliad  and  the  Odyssey  ?  If 
Homer  be  the  collective  pseudonym  of  an  entire  cycle 
of  Hellenic  national  bards,  *  The  Serbian  people '  is  that 
of  the  national  bards  who  chanted  those  Serbian  epic 
poems  during  the  centuries,  and  to  whom  it  was  nothing 
that  their  names  should  be  attached  to  them.  The  task 
of  the  learned  Diascevastes  of  Pisistrate's  epoch,  which 
they  performed  with  such  ability  in  the  old  Hellade,  has 
been  done  in  Serbia  by  a  self-taught  peasant,  the  famous 
Voukjtephanovitch-Karadgitch,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Vouk's  first  collection  of  Serbian 
national  poems,  which  he  wrote  down  as  he  heard  them 
from  the  lips  of  the  gousslari  (i.e.  Serbian  national  bards), 
was  published  for  the  first  time  at  Vienna  in  1814,  and  was 
not  only  eagerly  read  throughout  Serbia  and  in  the  literary 
54 


The  Importance  of  the  Ballads 

circles  of  Austria  and  Germany,  but  also  in  other  parts  of 
Europe.  Goethe  himself  translated  one  of  the  ballads, 
and  his  example  was  quickly  followed  by  others. 
Those  poems — as  may  be  seen  from  the  examples  given  in 
this  volume — dwell  upon  the  glory  of  the  Serbian  mediaeval 
empire,  lostjm  the  fateHieldjOCossovo  (1389).  When 
the  Turks  conquered  the  Serbian  lands  and  drove  away 
the  flower  of  the  Serbian  aristocracy,  these  men  took 
refuge  in  the  monasteries  and  villages,  where  the  Turkish 
horsemen  never  came.  There  they  remained  through 
centuries  undisturbed,  inspired  by  the  eloquence  of  the 
Serbian  monks,  who  considered  it  their  sacred  duty  to 
preserve  for  the  nation  behind  their  old  walls  the  memory 
of  ancient  kings  and  tzars  and  of  the  glorious  past  in 
which  they  flourished. 

Professional  bards  went  from  one  village  to  another, 
chanting  in  an  easy  decasyllabic  verse  the  exploits  of 
Serbian  heroes  and .JJaidooks  (knight-brigands)^,  who  were 
the  only  check  upon  the  Turkish  atrocities.  The  bards 
carried  news  of  political  and  other  interesting  events, 
often  correct,  sometimes  more  or  less  distorted,  and  the 
gifted  Serbians — for  gifted  they  were  and  still  are — did 
not  find  it  difficult  to  remember,  and  to  repeat  to  others, 
the  stories  thus  brought  to  them  in  poetic  form.  As  the 
rhythm  of  the  poems  is  easy,  and  as  the  national  ballads 
have  become  interwoven  with  the  spirit  of  every  true/l 
Serbian,  it  is  not  rare  that  a  peasant  who  has  heard  a  poem 
but  once  can  not  only  repeat  it  as  he  heard  it,  but  also 
improvise  passages ;  nay,  he  can  at  times  even  compose 
entire  original  ballads  on  the  spur  of  inspirational 
moments. 

In  Serbian  Hungary  there  are  schools  in  which  the  blind 
learn  these   national   ballads,  and  go  from  one  fair  to 

55 


Tales  ^  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

another  to  recite  them  before  the  peasants  who  come  from 
all  Serbian  lands.  But  this  is  not  the  true  method.  In 
the  mountains  of  Serbia,  Montenegro,  Bosnia  and  Herze- 
govina there  is  no  occasion  to  learn  them  mechanically  : 
they  are  familiar  to  all  from  infancy.  When,  in  the  winter 
evening,  the  members  of  a  Serbian  family  assemble  around 
the  fire,  and  the  women  are  engaged  with  their  spinning, 
poems  are  recited  by  those  who  happen  to  know  them  best. 

The  Goussle 

The  ballads  are  recited  invariably  to  the  accompaniment 
of  a^rimitLye_Jnstrument  with^ijsingle  string,  called  a 
^goussle,  which  is  to  be  met  with  in  almost  every  house. 
TKefjx>pular  Servian  poet,JPeter  Petrovitch,jn  his  master- 
piece, Gorsky  Viyenatz  ('  The  Mountain  Wreath ') 
uttered  the  following  lines,  which  have  become  pro- 
verbial : 

Dye  se  goussle  u  kutyi  ne  tchuyu 
Tu  su  mrtva  i  kutya  i  lyoudi. 

(The  house  in  which  the  goussle  is  not  heard 
Is  dead,  as  well  as  the  people  in  it.) 

The  old  men^  with  grown-up  sons^who  are  excused  from 
hard  labour,  recite  to  their  grandchildren,  who  yield 
themselves  with  delight  to  the  rhythmic  verse  through 
which  they  receive  their  first  knowledge  of  the  past. 
Even  the  abbots  of  the  monasteries  do  not  deem  it  dero- 
gatory to  recite  those  ballads  and  to  accompany  their 
voices  by  the  monotonous  notes  of  the  goussle.  But  the 
performance  has  more  of  the  character  of  a  recitation 
than  of  singing :  the  string  is  struck  only  at  the  end 
of  each  verse.  In  some  parts  of  Serbia,  however,  each 
syllable  is  accentuated  by  a  stroke  of  the  bow,  and  the 
final  syllable  is  somewhat  prolonged. 

56 


The  Goussle 

decasyllabic lines haYe__ invariably    five 

trochees,  with  the  fixed  caesura  afler-the  second  foot ;  and 
almost  every  line  is  injtself  a  complete  sentence.  __ 
There  is  hardly  a  tavern  or  inn  in  any  Serbian  village 
where  one  could  see  an  assembly  of  peasants  without  a 
gousslar  around  whom  all  are  gathered,  listening  with 
delight  to  his  recitals.  At  the  festivals  near  the  cloisters, 
where  the  peasants  meet  together  in  great  numbers,  pro- 
fessional gousslars  recite  the  heroic  songs  and  emphasize 
the  pathetic  passages  in  such  an  expressive  manner  that 
there  is  hardly  a  listener  whose  cheeks  are  not  bedewed 
with  copious  tears.  The  music  is  extremely  simple,  but 
its  simplicity  is  a  powerful  and  majestic  contrast  to  the 
exuberance  of  romance  manifested  in  the  exploits  and 
deeds  of  some  favourite  hero — as,  for  example,  the  Royal 
Prince  Marko. 

There  are  njgnyjbold^  hyperboles  mjthose  national  songs, 
and~TItne^wonder~if  they  are  discredited  by  Western 
critics,  especially  in  the  ballads  concerning  the  exploits  of 
the  beloved  Marko — who  "  throws  his  heavy  mace  aloft 
as  high  as  the  clouds  and  catches  it  again  in  his  right 
hand,  without  dismounting  from  his  trusty  courser 
Sharatz."  Now  and  then  an  English  reader  may  find 
passages  which  may  seem  somewhat  coarse,  but  he  must 
bear  in  mind  that  the  ballads  have  usually  been  composed 
and  transmitted  from  generation  to  generation  by  simple 
and  illiterate  peasants.  Most  of  those  concerning  the 
Royal  Prince  Marko  date  from  the  early  fourteenth 
century,  when  the  customs,  even  in  Western  Europe,  were 
different  from  those  prevailing  now.  My  translations 
have,however,  been  carefully  revised  J^_Mr&^JCTJ3C 
jarnam  wKBTiaslalceirargreat  interest  in  this  book,  and 
has  endeavoured  to  do  no  injustice  to  the  rugged 

57 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

originals.  Having  passed  some  time  in  Serbia — as  many 
noble  English  ladies  have  done — nursing  the  wounded 
heroes  of  the  Balkan  War,  of  1912-13,  and  softening 
their  pain  with  unspeakable  tenderness  and  devotion,  she 
was  attracted  by  the  natural,  innate  sense  of  honesty  and 
the  bravery  which  her  cultivated  mind  discovered  in 
those  simple  Serbians  and  her  interest  has  since  extended 
to  their  history  and  literature. 

It  is  worthy  of  consideration  that  the  history  of  the 
Serbian  and  other  Southern  Slavonic  nations,  developed 
by  its  poetry — if  not  even  replaced  by  it  altogether — has 
through  it  been  converted  into  a  national  property,  and 
is  thus  preserved  in  the  memory  of  the  entire  people  so 
vividly  that  a  Western  traveller  must  be  surprised  when 
he  hears  even  the  most  ignorant  Serbian  peasant  relate  to 
him  something  at  least  of  the  old  kings  and  tsars  of  the 
glorious  dynasty  of  Nemagnitch,  and  of  the  feats  and 
deeds  of  national  heroes  of  all  epochs. 


CHAPTER  IV  :  KRALYEVITCH 
MARKO;  OR,  THE   ROYAL 
PRINCE  MARKO 

The  Marko  Legends 

MARKO  was,  as  we  have  already  seen,  the  son  of 
King  Voukashin ;   and  his  mother  was  Queen 
Helen  whom  the  Serbian  troubadours  called  by 
the  pleasing  and  poetic  name  Yevrossima  (Euphrosyne)  in 
their  songs  and  poems. 

According  to  the  popular  tradition,  the  Prince  was  born 
in  the  castle  of  Skadar  (Scutari^  and  his  mother,  being  the 
sister  of  that  most  glorious  and  ^adventurous  knight 
Mpmchilo,  fortunately  transmitted  much  of  the  heroism, 
and  many  of  the  other  virtues,  characteristic  of  her  own 
family,  to  her  son. 

But  there  is  also  another  tradition,  equally  popular, 
which  maintains  that  J^Iarko  was  the  child^  of  a  veela 
(fairy-queen)  and  a  ^w^/^dragon).  The  fact  that  his 
father  was  a  dragon  is  believed  by  those  who  accept  this 
tradition,  to  explain  and  in  every  way  to  account  for, 
Marko's  tremendous  strength  and  his  astonishing  powers 
of  endurance. 

Truly  Prince  Marko  possessed  a  striking  and  extra- 
ordinarily attractive  personality :  he  so  vividly  impressed 
the  minds  of  the  Serbian  people,  people  of  all  ranks  and 
localities,  that  he  has  always  been,  remains  to  this  day, 
and  promises  ever  to  remain,  our  most  beloved  hero. 
Indeed  there  is  no  Serbian  to  be  found,  even  in  the  most 
remote  districts,  who  has  not  a  great  love  for  Kralyevitch 
Marko,  and  who  cannot  tell  his  story. 
This  Prince's  brave  deeds  and  all  his  exploits  have 
luckily  been  immortalized  by  the  national  bards  who  are 

59 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

never  weary  of  describing  him  in  their  ballads  and  legends 
as  a  lover  of  justice,  the  hater  of  all  oppression,  and  the 
avenger  of  every  wrong.  He  is  always  represented  as  the 
possessor  of  great  physical  strength :  his  principal  weapon 
was  his  heavy  war-club  (it  weighed  one  hundred  pounds — 
sixty  pounds  of  steel,  thirty  pounds  of  silver,  and  the 
remainder  was  pure  gold)  and  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  swords  and  clubs  wielded  by  the  merely  human 
hands  of  his  antagonists  can  never  kill  him  ;  they  never 
injure  him,  for  they  scarcely  ever  even  touch  this  hero. 
Marko  is  always  thought  to  have  had  much  of  the  super- 
natural in  him. 

Marko,  who  was  often  rough  and  ready  in  his  behaviour, 
and  more  especially  so  to  the  Turks,  whose  very  Sultan} 
indeed,  he  mightily  terrified  with  the  tales  he  told  of  his 
many  bloodthirsty  and  warlike  deeds,  was  invariably  a 
most  dutiful,  loving  and  tender-hearted  son  to  his  mother : 
and  there  were  occasions  when  he  willingly  consulted  her, 
and  followed  the  advice  she  gave  him. 
Prince  Marko  was  fearless:  It  was  said  that  "he  feared 
no  one  but  God  "  ;  and  it  was  his  rule  to  be  courteous  to 
all  women.  In  Serbia  it  was  the  usual  custom  to  drink  a 
great  deal  of  wine,  the  red  wine  of  which  we  so  often  hear, 
and  this  custom  was  one  which  Marko  upheld :  but  it 
is  always  said,  and  universally  believed,  that  he  was  never 
drunk. 

The  ballads  also  sing  of  King  Voukashin.  Youkashia 
had  been  the  Councillor  oLStatgLjiurmg^  the__reign.  of 
Doushan  jhe  Powerful.  The  capital  of  thejimpire  was 
JPrizrend,  and  Marko  was  brought  up  thei  at  the  Court, 
by  his  father  Voukashin.  According  to  the  generally 
accepted  belief  it  was  Marko  who,  a  little  later  on,  attended 
the  Emperor  as  secretary  and  councillor  of  State,  and 
60 


The  Horse  Sharatz 

was  entrusted  by  Doushan,  on  the  approach  of  death,  with 
his  young  son  Ourosh. 

The  Bad  Faith  of  Voukashin 

One  ballad  relates  that  the  Emperor  Doushan  had 
bequeathed  the  crown  to  Voukashin  and  stipulated  in  his 
will  that  that  monarch  should  reign  for  seven  years,  and  at 
the  end  of  that  time  he  should  give  up  the  rule  to  the 
Tsarevitch  Ourosh.  King  Voukashin  not  only  pro- 
longed his  haughty  rule  to  sixteen  years,  but  absolutely 
refused  to  yield  the  sceptre  even  then,  and  moreover  pro- 
claimed himself  sovereign  Tsar.  The  ballad  further  depicts 
the  incessant  struggles  which  were  in  the  end  to  cause  the 
downfall  of  the  Serbian  mediaeval  State.  And  so  tradition, 
earnestly  sympathizing  with  the  just  anger  felt  by  the  people 
against  the  rebels,  and  their  lamentation  over  the  lost 
tsardom,  charges  Voukashin  with  all  the  blame  and 
responsibility — curses  him  as  a  usurper  and  a  traitor,  and 
execrates  him  for  his  cunning  and  inconsistency :  whilst 
on  the  other  hand  tradition  ever  extols  and  glorifies  his 
son  Marko  as  the  faithful  defender  of  Prince  Ourosh,  as  the 
great  avenger  of  national  wrongs,  and  praises  him  at  all 
times  for  his  good  heart,  his  generous  foresight  in  politics 
and  private  affairs,  his  humanity,  and  above  all  his  readiness 
to  perish  in  the  cause  of  justice. 

The  Horse  Sharatz 

The  story  of  Marko  cannot  be  told  without  some  account 
of  Sharatz,  his  much-loved  piebald  steed,  from  whom  he 
was  never  parted. 

Sharatz  was  undoubtedly  unique.  There  are  several 
versions  of  the  story  as  to  how  Marko  became  possessed 
of  him  :  Some  of  the  bards  assert  that  Sharatz  was  given 

61 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

to  Marko  by  the  same  veela  who  had  from  the  first 
endowed  him  with  his  marvellous  strength ;  but  there  are 
others  who  affirm  that  Marko  once  bought  a  foal  suffering 
from  leprosy,  and  that  the  Prince  tended  him  himself  and 
completely  cured  him,  taught  him  to  drink  wine,  and 
finally  made  him  the  fine  horse  that  he  became. 
And  there  are  others  again  who  say  that  at  one  time,  in 
his  youth,  Marko  served  a  master  for  three  years,  and 
that  for  his  sole  reward  he  asked  permission  to  choose  a 
horse  from  among  those  then  grazing  in  the  meadow.  His 
master  gladly  consented,  and  Marko,  according  to  his 
custom,  tested  each  horse  in  turn,  by  taking  it  by  the  tail 
and  whirling  it  round  and  round. 

At  last,  when  he  came  to  a  certain  piebald  foal  he 
seized  it  by  the  tail :  but  this  animal  did  not  stir,  and 
Marko,  with  all  his  vast  strength,  could  not  make  it  move 
one  step.  Marko  chose  that  foal,  and  it  became  his  beloved 
Sharatz.  The  Serbians  of  Veles  still  call  a  great  plain 
near  Demir-Kapi  *  Markova  Livada '  (Marko's  meadow). 
Sharatz  means  'piebald,'  and  it  is  said  that  the  skin 
of  Marko's  horse  was  more  like  the  hide  of  an  ox  in 
appearance  than  like  the  skin  of  an  ordinary  horse.  The 
Prince  called  him  by  various  endearing  names  such  as 
Sharin  or  Sharo,  and  was  devoted  to  him  for  the  hundred 
and  sixty  years  they  were  together. 

This  wonderful  beast  was  the  strongest  and  swiftest 
horse  ever  known,  and  he  often  overtook  the  flying  veela. 
He  was  so  well  trained  that  he  knew  the  very  moment 
when  to  kneel  down  to  save  his  master  from  an  adversary's 
lance  ;  he  knew  just  how  to  rear  and  strike  the  adversary's 
charger  with  his  fore-feet.  When  his  spirit  was  thoroughly 
roused  Sharatz  would  spring  up  to  the  height  of  three 
lengths  of  a  lance  and  to  the  distance  of  four  lance- 
62 


The  Horse  Sharatz 

lengths  forward  ;  beneath  his  hoofs  glittering  sparks 
shone  forth,  and  the  very  earth  he  trod  would  crack  and 
stones  and  fragments  fly  in  all  directions  ;  and  his  nostrils 
exhaled  a  quivering  blue  flame,  terrifying  to  all  beholders. 
He  often  bit  off  the  ears  of  enemies'  horses  and  crushed 
and  trampled  to  death  numbers  of  Turkish  soldiers. 
Marko  might  peacefully  doze,  and  sometimes  even  go  to 
sleep,  when  riding  through  the  mountains;  and  all  the 
time  he  was  safe,  for  Sharatz  would  keep  careful  guard. 
Therefore  the  Prince  would  feed  his  steed,  with  bread  and 
wine,  from  the  vessels  that  he  used  himself  and  loved  him 
more  than  he  loved  his  own  brother;  and  Sharatz  shared, 
as  he  deserved  to  share,  the  glory  of  many  a  victory  with 
his  master.  Marko  never  rode  upon  another  horse,  and 
together  they  were  described  as  "  a  dragon  mounted  upon 
a  dragon." 


are  in  existence  about  thirty-eight  poems  and 
perhaps  twice  as  many  prose-legends  containing  detailed 
descriptions  of  Marko's  thrilling  exploits,  and  there  is 
hardly  a  Serb  or  a  Bulgar  anywhere  to  be  found  who 
cannot  recite  at  least  a  few  of  them.  In  the  Balkans- 
Turkish  War,  1912-13,  a  gouslar,  when  not  fighting, 
would  take  his  gousle^  and  recite  to  his  comrades  heroic 
poems  of  which  the  greater  number  related  to  Marko. 
The  intense  veneration  felt  by  Serbians  for  this  beloved 
Prince  proves  an  unfailing  bond  between  them  in  their 
own  country  and  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
There  are,  naturally  enough,  various  accounts  of  the 
death  of  Marko.  The  story  that  has  most  appealed  to  his 
countrymen  and  taken  a  specially  firm  hold  of  their  poets' 

1  An  instrument  which  emits  droning  monotonous  sounds,  and  which 
resembles  in  many  points  the  hurdy-gurdy.  In  olden  times,  in  Serbia, 
this  instrument  was  played  by  minstrels  thirty  years  of  age  or  more  ; 
younger  men  played  the  flute,  violin,  and  a  kind  of  bagpipes. 

63 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

imaginations  is  that  he  never  died.  It  is  believed  that  he 
withdrew  to  a  cave,  near  his  castle  at  Prilip,  which  is  still 
standing,  to  rest,  and  that  he  is  there,  now,  asleep.  From 
time  to  time  he  awakes  and  looks  to  see  if  his  sword  has 
yet  come  out  of  a  rock  into  which  he  had  thrust  it  to  the 
very  hilt.  When  the  sword  is  out  of  the  rock  Marko  will 
know  that  the  time  has  come  for  him  to  appear  among  the 
Serbians  once  more,  to  re-establish  the  mediaeval  empire, 
lost  at  the  battle  of  Kossovo.1 

1  In  order  to  illustrate  how  firmly  rooted  is  that  belief  throughout 
Serbia,  the  author  quotes  from  his  article  (condensed) :  "  How  a 
Fourteenth  Century  Serbian  Prince  achieved  a  Miraculous  Victory  in 
the  Late  War,"  The  International  Psychic  Gazette^  May  1913. 
"...  When  we  arrived  on  the  i5th  of  November  last  year,  at  Skoplye 
(Uskub),  the  Serbian  officers  gave  a  comparatively  sumptuous  banquet 
at  their  barracks  in  honour  of  Surgeon-General  Bourke  and  the  two 
units;  of  the  British  Red  Cross,  on  which  occasion  the  aged  General 
Mishitch  related  to  us  the  following  incident  from  the  battle  of  Prilip, 
fought  a  few  days  previously. 

"...  Our  infantry  was  ordered  to  make  a  forced  march  on  the  eve 
of  that  battle,  which  is  unique  in  the  history  of  warfare.  They  were 
to  wait  at  the  foot  of  the  mount  of  Prilip  on  which  stood  the  Castle  of 
Marko  for  the  effect  of  our  artillery,  which  was  superior  both  in  numbers 
and  quality  to  that  of  the  Turks.  They  were  especially  cautioned 
against  storming  the  fort  before  they  received  the  order  from  their 
commander-in-chief.  This  was  necessary,  for  our  soldiers  had  won 
recently  several  battles  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  were 
convinced  that  there  was  nothing  that  would  frighten  the  Turks  more 
than  the  sight  of  the  shining  bayonets  of  the  Serbian  troops.  They 
knew  well  that  the  mere  exclamation  of  Bulgarians,  Na  noge  !  put  the 
Turks  to  flight  at  Kirk-Klisse  and  Lille"  Bourgass. 
"  During  the  early  morning  the  infantry  kept  quiet,  but  at  the  first 
cannon-shots  we  noticed  an  effervescence  among  our  troops,  and  soon 
afterward  we  heard  them  shouting  frantically  and  saw  them  running 
like  wolves  straight  to  the  castle  of  the  Royal  Prince  Marko.  I  could 
hear  the  voice  of  our  Captain  Agatonovitch,  commanding  them  to 
stop  and  await  the  General's  order.  When  the  immediate  commanders 
saw  that  discipline  proved  futile,  they  essayed  in  vain  to  appeal  to  the 
soldiers'  reason,  assuring  them  of  certain  death  if  they  would  not  await 
at  least  the  effect  of  our  artillery.  Our  warriors,  deafened  by  the 
roaring  of  the  Turkish  siege-cannon  and  mitrailleuses,  ran  straight  into 
the  fire,  and  appeared  to  fall  in  dozens !  The  sight  was  horrible.  I 

64 


The  Horse  Sharatz 

As  for  Sharatz,  he  is  still  feeding,  but  he  has  now  nearly 
finished  his  portion  of  hay. 


PRINCE  MARKO  TELLS  WHOSE 
THE  EMPIRE  SHALL  BE 

Four  tabors*  met  together  on  the  beautiful  field  of 
Kossovo  near  the  white  church  Samodrezja : 2  One  tabor 
was  headed  by  King  Voukashin ;  the  second  by  Despot 
Ouglesha ;  3  the  third  by  Voivode  Goykp,  and  the  fourth 
by  Tsarevitch  Ourosh.  *&*jf<K*> 

The  first  three  of  these  were  disputing  over  the  inherit- 
ance of  the  Empire  and  were  ready  to  stab  one  another,  so 

was  unable  to  stop  my  soldiers.  My  blood  froze,  I  closed  my  eyes. 
Disastrous  defeat !  Demoralisation  of  other  troops !  My  own 
degradation  was  certain ! 

"  In  a  little  while  our  artillery  ceased  firing,  lest  they  should  kill  their 
own  comrades,  who  were  now  crossing  bayonets  with  the  Turkish 
infantry.  A  few  minutes  later  we  saw  the  Serbian  national  colours 
fluttering  on  the  donjon  of  Kralyevitch  Marko's  castle.  The  Turks 
were  fleeing  in  greatest  disorder.  The  Serbian  victory  was  as  complete 
as  it  was  rapid  ! 

"When  we  arrived  on  the  scene  a  little  later,  a  parade  was  ordered. 
After  calling  together  the  troops  we  found  our  loss  had  been  com- 
paratively insignificant.  I  praised  my  heroes  for  their  brave  conduct, 
but  reproached  them  bitterly  for  their  disobedience.  At  my  last 

admonishing  words,  I  heard  from  thousands  of  soldiers  in  majestic 

unison : 

"  '  Kralyevitch  Marko  commanded  us  all  the  time  :  FOR  WARD  /    Did 

you  not  see  him  on  his  Sharatz  ? ' 

"  It  was  clear  to  me  that  the  tradition  of  Kralyevitch  Marko  was  so 

deeply  engraved  on  the  hearts  of  those  honest  and  heroic  men  that, 

in  their  vivid  enthusiasm,  they  had  seen  the  incarnation  of  their  hero. 

"I  dismissed  the  troops  and  ordered  double  portions  of  food  and 

wine  to  be  given  to  all  for  a  week.      Every  tenth  man  obtained  a 

'  Medalya  za  Hrabrost*  (medal  for  courage)." 

1  Tabor  is  a  Turkish  word  meaning  an  army,  or  a  camp. 

2  Other  bards  mention  '  Gratchanitza.' 

3  Despot  was  an  honorary  title  of  the  Byzantine  emperors,  then  of 
members  of  their  families,  and  was  later  conferred  as  a  title  of  office 
on  vassal  rulers  and  governors.     The  rank  of  Despot  was  next  to  that 
of  the  king. 

E  65 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

eager  were  they  all  to  reign.  They  did  not  know  who 
had  been  appointed  the  Tsar's  successor  and  who  was  the 
rightful  heir  to  the  throne.  King  Voukashin  announced : 
"  The  Empire  was  left  to  me  I  "  Voivode  Goyko  cried 
out:  "Not  so!  The  Empire  is  mine!"  and  Despot 
Ouglesha  interposed  angrily,  "  You  are  both  wrong,  for 
know  that  the  Empire  is  mine" 

The  youthful  Tsarevitch  remained  silent,  for  he  was  not 
bold  enough  to  proffer  a  single  word  in  the  presence  of  his 
haughty  elders. 

King  Voukashin  prepared  a  message  and  sent  it  by 
a  faithful  servant  to  the  Archdeacon  Nedelyko,  at 
Prizrend,  summoning  him  to  come  at  once  to  the  field 
of  Kossovo  and  state  without  delay  to  whom  the 
Empire  had  been  left — for  he  must  surely  know,  having 
received  the  last  confession  of  the  illustrious  Tsar 
Doushan  the  Mighty  and  been  in  attendance  upon  him  up 
to  his  death.  Besides,  it  was  known  that  the  Archdeacon 
had  the  archives  under  his  care,  and  could  at  least 
produce  the  Emperor's  will.  Despot  Ouglesha  also  sent 
a  missive  to  the  Archdeacon  by  his  swiftest  messenger;  a 
third  was  written  by  Voivode  Goyoko,  who  dispatched  it 
by  his  special  courier,  and  a  fourth  was  inscribed  and 
sent  off  by  Ourosh. 

The  messages  were  all  dispatched  secretly,  but  the 
couriers  reached  Prizrend  and  met  at  the  gates  of 
Nedelyko's  dwelling.  But  Nedelyko  had  gone,  as  Court 
Chaplain,  to  officiate  at  the  morning  service  in  the 
Cathedral.  The  men  were  enraged  at  the  delay,  and 
without  even  alighting  from  their  horses,  they  rushed 
infuriated,  into  the  sacred  edifice,  raised  their  whips 
and  brutally  struck  the  good  Archdeacon,  commanding 
him:  "Behold,  O  Archdeacon  Nedelyko!  Hasten  now, 
66 


Marko  is  Summoned 

this  very  hour,  to  the  plain  of  Kossovo.  Thou  must  state 
to  whom  the  Empire  belongs,  for  thou  hast  received 
the  confession  from  the  illustrious  Tsar  and  administered 
the  last  sacrament  to  him,  and  it  is  thou  who  hast  the 
state  records  in  thy  care.  Hasten,  hasten,  lest  we, 
in  our  fierce  impatience,  do  sever  thy  head  from  thy 
body ! " 

Archdeacon  Nedelyko  wept  with  grief  and  mortification 
and  thus  replied :  "  Begone,  ye  servants  of  the  most  mighty 
princes !  Begone  from  the  House  of  God !  Suffer  first 
that  we  end  God's  service,  then  will  I  make  known  into 
whose  hands  the  Empire  is  to  fall !  " 
The  couriers  then  went  out  and  awaited  the  coming  of  the 
Archdeacon.  Presently  the  Archdeacon  came  to  them 
and  spake  in  this  wise :  "  O  my  children,  messengers 
from  the  King  himself,  and  from  the  Princes !  I  received 
the  last  confession  of  our  glorious  Tsar,  and  gave  him  the 
sacrament;  but  about  the  Empire  and  affairs  of  state 
he  spoke  never  a  word,  for  we  were  concerned  only  with 
the  sins  that  he  had  committed.  Ye  must  go  to  the  city  of 
Prilip,  for  there  is  the  castle  of  the  Royal  Prince  Marko. 
Marko,  as  ye  may  remember,  learned  from  me  how  to 
read  and  write ;  later  he  was  secretary  to  the  Emperor 
and  he  was  then  entrusted  with  the  care  of  the  records, 
and  he  will  surely  know  to  whom  the  empire  was 
entrusted.  Call  Marko  to  the  field  of  Kossovo  to  say  who 
is  now  the  Tsar.  Marko  will  tell  the  truth,  for  he  fears 
none  but  God !  " 

Marko  is  Summoned 

The  messenger  set  out  at  once,  and,  arriving  at  Prilip, 
they  smote  on  the  portals  of  the  castle.  The  knocking 
was  heard  by  Yevrossima,  and  she  spoke  thus  to  her  son  : 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

"  O  Marko,  my  dearest  son  1  who  are  they  who  knock  at 
the  gates  below?  They  may  be  messengers  from  thy 
father ! " 

Marko  commanded  that  the  gates  should  be  opened, 
and  when  the  messengers  entered  they  bowed  with 
profoundest  respect,  and  said :  "  May  God  always  help 
thee,  O  noble  Lord  Marko  1 " 

The  Prince  laid  his  hand  upon  their  heads  with  kindness 
and  said :  "  Be  welcome,  ye  my  dear  children !  Are  the 
Serbian  knights  in  good  health  ?  And  is  all  well  with  the 
glorious  Tsar  and  King  ! " 

The  couriers  again  made  humble  obeisance,  saying :  "  O 
noble  Lord,  thou  most  Royal  Prince  Marko !  All  are 
well,  though  not,  we  fear,  upon  friendly  terms  together ! 
The  King,  thy  father,  and  other  princes  are  seriously 
contending  for  the  Empire  upon  Kossovo,  that  vast  field 
which  is  near  the  church  Samodrezja ;  they  are  ready  to 
stab  each  other  at  any  moment  with  their  blades,  for  they 
know  not  to  whom  the  Empire  rightly  belongs.  Thou  art 
now  called  upon,  O  noble  Prince,  to  proclaim  the  heir  to 
the  Imperial  crown." 

The  bard  goes  on  to  narrate  how  Marko  went  to 
Yevrossima  and  asked  her  advice,  and  although  it  was 
well  known  that  Marko  himself  loved  the  truth,  his  good 
mother  implored  him  with  the  following  words :  "  O 
Marko,  thy  mother's  only  son !  May  the  food  on  which 
thou  wert  nourished  be  not  cursed  !  Speak  not  falsely 
either  to  please  thy  father,  or  to  satisfy  the  ambitions  of 
thine  uncles,  but  tell,  I  beg  of  thee,  the  truth  before  God 
lest  thou  shouldest  lose  thy  soul.  It  were  better  that  thou 
shouldst  perish  than  sin  against  thy  soul !  " 
Marko  took  the  ancient  documents,  mounted  Sharatz  and 
rode  forthwith  to  the  plain  of  Kossovo.  As  he  approached 
68 


Marko  is  Summoned 

his  father's  tent  King  Voukashin  saw  him  and  exclaimed : 
"  Oh,  how  fortunate  am  I  !  Here  is  my  son  Marko  ;  he 
will  say  that  the  Empire  was  left  to  me,  for  of  course  he 
knows  that  it  will  pass  from  father  to  son !  " 
Marko  heard  this,  but  said  not  one  single  word,  neither 
would  he  turn  his  head  towards  the  King's  tent. 
When  Despot  Ouglesha  saw  Marko,  he  spoke  in  this  wise : 
"  Oh,  what  a  lucky  thing  for  me !  here  is  my  nephew 
Marko ;  he  is  certain  to  say  the  Empire  is  mine !  Say,  O 
Marko,  the  Empire  is  mine !  We  would  reign  together, 
you  and  I,  like  brothers ! "  Marko  still  kept  silent  and 
did  not  even  turn  his  head  in  the  direction  of  his  uncle's 
tent. 

As  Voivode  Goyko  perceived  his  coming,  he  exclaimed : 
"  Oh,  here  is  a  stroke  of  good  fortune  for  me  1  here  is  my 
dear  nephew  Marko :  he  is  sure  to  say  that  the  Empire 
was  left  to  me.  When  Marko  was  a  little  child  I  used  to 
caress  him  fondly,  for  he  was  dear  to  me  as  a  golden 
apple,  and  always  most  precious.  Whenever  I  rode  out 
on  horseback  I  always  used  to  take  Marko  with  me.  O 
Marko  !  dear  Marko,  thou  must  say  that  the  Empire 
is  mine !  It  will  be  virtually  thou  who  shalt  reign  as  Tsar, 
and  I  shall  be  at  thy  right  hand,  at  all  times  ready,  as  thy 
counsellor !  "  Marko,  still  without  a  word,  and  com- 
pletely ignoring  Voivode  Goyko,  went  straight  on  to  the 
tent  where  Tsarevitch  Ourosh  was,  and  there  he  alighted 
from  his  Sharatz. 

When  the  young  Ourosh  saw  him,  he  sprang  from  his 
silken  couch,  and  exclaimed  :  "  Hurrah  !  Behold  my 
godfather  Marko !  Now  he  is  going  to  tell  us  who  the 
true  Tsar  is  !  "  They  embraced  each  other,  inquired  after 
each  other's  health,  and  seated  themselves  upon  the  couch 
from  which  Ourosh  had  just  risen. 

69 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Marko  tells  the  Truth 

Some  time  elapsed  and  the  sun  had  set,  the  night  passed, 
morning  dawned,  and  church  bells  called  all  to  morning 
prayers,  and  after  the  service  the  King,  the  Princes  and 
great  Lords  went  out  into  the  churchyard,  where    they 
took  their  places  at  tables,  and  ate  sweet-meats  and  drank 
brandy.     Marko  at  last  opened  the  ancient  documents, 
and  said  aloud  :     "O  my  father,  thou  King  Voukashin! 
Art  thou  not  content  with  thy  Kingdom  ?      May  it  be 
turned  into  a  desert  if  thou  art  not.      Oh  !    that  thou 
shouldst  wish  to  seize  another's  Empire  !     And  thou,  my 
uncle,  Despot  Ouglesha!     Art  thou  not  satisfied  within 
thine  own  territory?     Is  it  indeed  too  small  for  thee  that 
thou  must  struggle  for  the  Empire  that  belongs  to  another? 
May  it  also  turn  into  a  desert !    And  thou,  my  uncle,  thou 
Vo'fvode  Goyko !     Is  thy  Dukedom  not  vast  enough  for 
thee  ?     May  it  likewise  become  a  desert  if  it  is  not !     Oh 
that  thou  too  shouldst  strive  for  another's  Tsardom  ?  Do 
ye  not  all  see  and  understand  ?     If  ye  fail  to  see  may  God 
not  see  ye !     It  is  clearly  stated  in  the  records  that  the 
Empire  was  left  to  Ourosh.     From  father  shall  it  pass  to 
son.     To  this  youth  now  belongs  the  Imperial  Crown  of 
his  ancestors.     It  was  Ourosh  whom  our  late  Tsar,  on  his 
dying   day,    named    as    his    successor!"     When    King 
Voukashin  heard  this,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  drew  out  his 
golden  yatagan  and  would  have  pierced  his  son  with  it. 
The  Prince,  pursued  by  his  father,  fled,  for,   indeed,   it 
would  have  been  unseemly  for  Marko  to  fight  with  and 
perhaps  mortally  strike  his  own  father.     Marko  ran  round 
the  church  Samodreza,  his  father  closely  following,  till 
they  had  run  round  the  building  three  times,  and  then, 
when  Voukashin  was  on  the  point  of  getting  within  reach 
70 


Voukashin  was  on  the  point  of  getting  within  reach  of  his  son 


7  ' 


Marko  tells  the  Truth 

of  his  son,  all  at  once  a   mysterious  voice  from  within 
the  church  uttered  these  words :    "  Run  into  the  church, 
O,  thou  Royal  Prince  Marko !     Seest  thou  not  that  other- 
wise thou  shalt  perish  by  thy  father's  hand,  because  thou 
hast   spoken  the  truth  so  dear  to  God?"     The  doors 
suddenly  opened  of  themselves  and  Marko  passed  inside ; 
then  they  closed  and  interposed  themselves  between  the 
two   men.     King   Voukashin   began   to  strike   violently 
upon  the  doors  with  his  short  hanging  sword  until  he 
noticed  that  there  were  drops  of  blood  trickling  down  the 
beam,  whereupon  he  was  seized  with  remorse  and  sighed 
in  lowly  penance,  saying :  "  Alas  !     Unfortunate  man  that 
I  am !    O,  thou  infinite  and  divine  God !    Hear  me  1    I  have 
killed  my  son  Marko !  "    But  the  mysterious  voice  from  the 
church  answered :  "  Behold  1   Voukashin  thou  most  mighty 
King  I     Lo,  thou  hast  not  even  wounded  thy  son  Marko, 
but  thou  hast  injured  the  angel  of  the  true  God ! " 
At  these  words  the  King  grew  again  enraged  with  Marko 
and  cursed  him  in  these  words :    "  O  Marko,  my  only  son,  1 
may  God  kill  thee!  Mayest  thou  never  be  entombed!  Mayest  I 
thou  have  no  son  to  come  after  thee  1    May  thy  family  end 
with  thee  1  And,  worse  than  all,  may  thy  soul  depart  not  from  1 
thy  body  before  thou  hast  served  as  vassal  to  the  Turk  ! "  I 
In  these  bitter  words  the  King  cursed  Marko,  but  the  \ 
new  Tsar,  Ourosh,  blessed  him,  saying :    "  O  my  beloved    \ 
god-father,  Marko  1  May  God  ever  support  thee !  May  thy 
word  be  always  respected  and  accepted  by  all  just  men  for 
ever  in  the  divan  I l     May  thy  bright  sabre  prosper  in  all 
battles  and  combats  !  May  there  never  be  a  hero  to  over- 
power thee  !  May  it  please  God  that  thy  name  shall  at  all 
times  be  remembered  with  honour,  for  so  long  as  the  sun 
and  the  moon  continue  to  shine." 
1  Divan^  a  Turkish  word  for  "  senate." 

71 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

PRINCE  MARKO  AND  A 
MOORISH  CHIEFTAIN 

A  great  and  powerful  Moorish  chieftain  had  built  for 
himself  a  magnificent  castle,  rising  to  the  height  of  twenty 
storeys.  The  place  he  had  chosen  for  the  castle  was  by 
the  sea,  and  when  it  was  quite  completed  he  had  panes  of 
the  most  beautiful  glass  put  in  for  windows ;  he  hung  all 
the  rooms  and  halls  with  the  richest  silks  and  velvets  and 
then  soliloquized  thus  :  "  O  my  koula?  why  have  I  erected 
thee  ?  for  there  is  no  one  but  I  who  is  there  to  tread,  with 
gentle  footsteps,  upon  these  fine  rugs,  and  behold  from 
these  windows  the  blue  and  shining  sea.  I  have  no 
mother,  no  sister,  and  I  have  not  yet  found  a  wife. 
But  I  will  assuredly  go  at  once  and  seek  the  Sultan's 
daughter  in  marriage.  The  Sultan  must  either  give  me 
his  daughter  or  meet  me  in  single  combat."  As  soon 
as  the  Moor,  gazing  at  his  castle,  had  uttered  these  words,  he 
wrote  a  most  emphatic  letter  to  the  Sultan  at  Istamboul,1 
the  contents  of  which  ran  thus :  "  O  Sire,  I  have  built  a 
beautiful  castle  near  the  shore  of  the  azure  sea,  but  as  yet  it 
has  no  mistress,  for  I  have  no  wife.  I  ask  thee,  therefore,  to 
bestow  upon  me  thy  beloved  daughter !  In  truth,  I  demand 
this ;  for  if  thou  dost  not  give  thy  daughter  to  me,  then 
prepare  thyself  at  once  to  meet  me  face  to  face  with  thy 
sword.  To  this  fight  I  now  challenge  thee!" 
The  letter  reached  the  Sultan  and  he  read  it  through. 
Immediately  he  sought  for  one  who  would  accept  the 
challenge  in  his  stead,  promising  untold  gold  to  the  knight 
who  would  show  himself  willing  to  meet  the  Moor. 
Many  a  bold  man  went  forth  to  fight  the  Moor,  but  not 
one  ever  returned  to  Istamboul. 

1  Koula  is  a  Serbo-Turkish  word  for  "castle." 

2  Istamboul  is  the  Turkish  name  for  Constantinople. 

72 


The  Entrance  of  the  Moor 

Alas !  the  Sultan  soon  found  himself  in  a  most  em- 
barrassing position  for  all  his  best  fighters  had  lost  their 
lives  at  the  hand  of  the  haughty  Moor.  But  even  this 
misfortune  was  not  the  worst.  The  Moor  prepared 
himself  in  all  his  splendour,  not  omitting  his  finest  sabre ; 
then  he  proceeded  to  saddle  his  steed  Bedevia,  securely 
fastening  the  seven  belts  and  put  on  her  a  golden  curb. 
On  one  side  of  the  saddle  he  fastened  his  tent,  and  this 
he  balanced  on  the  other  side  with  his  heaviest  club. 
He  sprang  like  lightning  on  to  his  charger,  and  holding 
before  him,  defiantly,  his  sharpest  lance,  he  rode  straight 
to  Istamboul. 

The  instant  he  reached  the  walls  of  the  fort,  he  spread 
his  tent,  struck  his  lance  well  into  the  earth,  bound  his 
Bedevia  to  the  lance  and  forthwith  imposed  on  the  inhabi- 
tants a  daily  tax,  consisting  of :  one  sheep,  one  batch  of 
white  loaves,  one  keg  of  pure  brandy,  two  barrels  of  red 
wine,  and  a  beautiful  maiden.  Each  maiden,  after  being 
his  slave  and  attending  on  him  for  twenty-four  hours, 
he  would  sell  in  Talia  for  large  sums  of  money.  This 
imposition  went  on  for  three  months,  for  none  could  stop 
it.  But  even  yet  there  was  a  greater  evil  to  be  met. 

The  Entrance  of  the  Moor 

The  inhabitants  of  Istamboul  were  terrorized  one  day 
when  the  haughty  Moor  mounted  upon  his  dashing  steed 
entered  the  city.  He  went  to  the  Palace,  and  cried 
loudly :  "  Lo  !  Sultan,  wilt  thou  now,  once  and  for  ever, 
give  me  thy  daughter?"  As  he  received  no  answer 
he  struck  the  walls  of  the  Palace  with  his  club  so  violently 
that  the  shattered  glass  poured  down  from  the  windows 
like  rain.  When  the  Sultan  saw  that  tl^e  Moor  might 
easily  destroy  the  Palace  and  even  the  whole  city  in 

73 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

this  way,  he  was  greatly  alarmed,  for  he  knew  that  there 
was  no  alternative  open  to  him  in  this  horrible  predica- 
ment but  to  give  up  his  only  daughter.  Although  over- 
whelmed with  shame,  therefore,  he  promised  to  do  this. 
Pleased  with  his  success,  the  Moor  asked  for  fifteen  days' 
delay  before  his  marriage  took  place  that  he  might  go 
back  to  his  castle  and  make  the  necessary  preparations. 
When  the  Sultan's  daughter  heard  of  her  father's  desperate 
resolution,  she  shrieked  and  exclaimed  bitterly :  "  Alas  ! 
Behold  my  sorrow,  O  almighty  Allah  !  For  whom  have 
I  been  taught  to  prize  my  beauty  ?  For  a  Moor  ?  Can 
it  be  true  that  a  Moor  shall  imprint  a  kiss  upon  my 
visage  ?  " 

The  Sultana's  Dream 

That  night  the  Sultana  had  a  strange  dream,  in  which  the 
figure  of  a  man  appeared  before  her,  saying:  "There  is 
within  the  Empire  of  Serbia  a  vast  plain  Kossovo ;  in 
that  plain  there  is  a  city  Prilip;  and  in  that  city  dwells 
the  Royal  Prince  Marko  who  is  known  among  all  men  as 
a  truly  great  hero." 

And  the  man  went  on  to  advise  the  Sultana  to  send, 
without  delay,  a  message  to  Prince  Marko  and  beg  him 
to  become  her  son-in-God,  and  at  the  same  time  to  offer 
him  immense  fortune,  for  he  was  without  doubt  the  only 
one  living  likely  to  vanquish  the  terrible  Moor  and  save 
her  daughter  from  a  shameful  fate.  The  next  morning 
she  sped  to  the  Sultan's  apartments  and  told  him  of  her 
dream.  The  Sultan  immediately  wrote  a  firman^  and 
sent  it  to  Prince  Marko  at  Prilip,  beseeching  him  to 
journey  with  all  speed  to  Istamboul  and  accept  the 
challenge  of  the  Moor,  and  if  he  should  succeed  in  saving 
1  Firman  is  a  Turkish  word  for  an  imperial  "  letter  "  or  "  decree." 
74 


The  Princess  appeals  to  Marko 

the  Princess  the  Sultan  would  give  him  three  tovars l  of 
pure  golden  ducats. 

When  Marko  read  the  firman,  he  said  to  the  Sultan's 
young  courier,  a  native  of  Tartary :  "  In  the  name  of 
God  go  back,  thou  Sultan's  messenger,  and  greet  thy 
master — my  father-in-God — tell  him  that  I  dare  not  face 
the  Moor.  Do  we  not,  all  of  us,  know  that  he  is  in- 
vincible? If  he  should  cleave  my  head  asunder,  of  what 
avail  would  three  tovars,  or  three  thousand  tovars,  of  gold 
be  to  me?" 

The  young  Tartar  brought  back  Marko's  answer  which 
caused  the  Sultana  so  much  grief,  that  she  determined  to 
send  a  letter  to  him  herself,  once  more  beseeching  him  to 
accept  the  challenge  and  this  time  increasing  the  reward 
to  five  tovars  of  pure  gold.  But  Marko,  though  generally 
so  chivalrous  and  courteous  to  all  women,  remained 
inexorable,  replying  that  he  would  not  meet  the  Moor 
in  combat  even  if  he  were  to  be  presented  with  all  the 
treasure  the  Sultan  possessed ;  for  he  did  not  dare. 

The  Princess  appeals  to  Marko 
When  the  broken-hearted  bride  heard  that  this  answer 
had  come  from  Marko  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  took  a  pen 
and  some  paper,  struck  her  rosy  cheek  witli  the  pen  and 
with  her  own  blood  traced  the  following :  "  Hail,  my 
dear  brother-in-God,  O,  thou  Royal  Prince  Marko !  Be 
a  true  brother  to  me !  May  God  and  Saint  John  be  our 
witnesses !  I  implore  thee,  do  not  suffer  me  to  become 
the  wife  of  the  Moor !  I  promise  thee  seven  tovars  of 
pure  gold,  seven  boshtchaluks,  which  have  been  neither 
woven  nor  spun,  but  are  embroidered  with  pure  gold. 

1  Tovar  is  a  Serbian  measure,  representing  what  a  normal  horse  can 
carry  on  its  back.     It  is  now  an  obsolete  term. 

75 


Tales  ®P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Moreover,  I  shall  give  thee  a  golden  plate  decorated  with 
a  golden  snake,  whose  raised  head  is  holding  in  its  mouth 
a  priceless  gem,  from  which  is  shed  a  light  of  such 
brilliance,  that  by  it  alone  you  can  see  at  the  darkest 
hour  of  midnight  as  well  as  you  can  at  noon.  In  addition 
to  these  I  shall  present  thee  with  a  finely  tempered  sabre ; 
this  sabre  has  three  hilts,  all  of  pure  gold,  and  in  each  of 
them  is  set  a  precious  stone.  The  sabre  alone  is  worth 
three  cities.  I  shall  affix  to  this  weapon  the  Sultan's  seal 
so  that  the  Grand  Vizir  may  never  put  thee  to  death 
without  first  receiving  his  Majesty's  special  command." 
When  he  had  read  this  missive,  Marko  reflected  thus: 
"  Alas  !  O  my  dear  sister-in-God  1  It  would  be  but  to 
my  great  misfortune  if  I  came  to  serve  thee,  and  to  my 
still  greater  misfortune  if  I  stayed  away.  For,  although 
I  fear  neither  the  Sultan  nor  the  Sultana,  I  do  in  all  truth 
fear  God  and  Saint  John,  by  whom  thou  hast  adjured 
me !  Therefore  I  now  resolve  to  come  and,  if  necessary, 
to  face  certain  death  1 " 

Marko  prepares  to  succour  the  Princess 
Having  sent  away  the  Princess'  messenger  without  telling 
him  what  he  had  resolved  to  do,  Marko  entered  his  castle 
and  put  on  his  cloak  and  a  cap,  made  of  wolves'  skins ; 
next  he  girded  on  his  sabre,  selected  his  most  piercing 
lance,  and  went  to  the  stables.  For  greater  safety  he 
fastened  the  seven  belts  under  the  saddle  of  his  Sharatz 
with  his  own  hands  ;  he  then  attached  a  leathern  bottle 
filled  with  red  wine  on  one  side  of  his  saddle  and  his 
weightiest  war-club  on  the  other.  Now  he  was  ready  and 
threw  himself  upon  Sharatz  and  rode  off  to  Istamboul. 
Upon  reaching  his  destination  he  did  not  go  to  pay  his 
respects  either  to  the  Sultan  or  to  the  Grand  Vizir,  but 
76 


Marko  greets  the  Princess 

quietly  took  up  his  abode  in  a  new  inn.  That  same 
evening,  soon  after  sun-set,  he  led  his  horse  to  a  lake 
near  by  to  be  refreshed  :  but  to  his  master's  surprise 
Sharatz  would  not  even  taste  the  water,  but  kept  turning 
his  head  first  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left,  till  Marko 
noticed  the  approach  of  a  Turkish  maiden  covered  with 
a  long  gold-embroidered  veil.  When  she  reached  the 
edge  of  the  water  she  bowed  profoundly  toward  the  lake 
and  said  aloud:  "God  bless  thee,  O  beauteous  green 
lake  !  God  bless  thee,  for  thou  art  to  be  my  home  for 
ever  more!  Within  thy  bosom  am  I  henceforth  to 
dwell;  I  am  now  to  die,  O  beauteous  lake;  rather  would 
I  choose  such  a  fate  than  become  the  bride  of  the  cruel 
Moor!" 

Marko  greets  the  Princess 

Marko  went  nearer  to  the  maiden  and  spoke  thus:  "O, 

thou  unhappy  Turkish  maiden !     What  is  thy  trouble  ? 

What  is  it  that  has  made  thee  wish  to  drown  thyself  ?  " 

She  answered :  "  Leave  me  in  peace,  thou  ugly  dervish? 

why  dost  thou  ask  me,  when  there  is  nought  that  thou 

canst  do  to  help  me  ?  " 

Then  the  maiden  related  the  story  of  her  coming  marriage 

with  the  Moorish  chieftain,  of  the  messages  sent  to  Marko, 

and  finally  she  bitterly  cursed  that  Prince  for  the  hardness 

of  his  heart. 

Thereupon  Marko  said :  "  O,  curse  me  not,  dear  sister- 

in-God!     Marko  is  here  and   is  now  speaking  to  thee 

himself!" 

Hearing   these    words    the   maiden    turned   toward    the 

famous   knight,   embraced   him   and   earnestly   pleaded: 

Dervish  is  an  ecclesiastic  official  amongst  the  Mohammedans.     When 
applied  to  the  laity  it  is  used  as  a  term  of  reproach. 

77 


Talcs  ftp  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

"  For  God's  sake,  O  my  brother  Marko  !  Suffer  not  the 
Moor  to  wed  me ! " 

Marko  was  greatly  affected,  and  declared :  "  O  dear 
sister-in-God  !  I  swear  that  so  long  as  my  head  remains 
upon  my  shoulders,  I  shall  never  let  the  Moor  have  thee ! 
Do  not  tell  others  that  thou  hast  seen  me  here,  but 
request  the  Sultan  and  thy  mother  to  have  supper  pre- 
pared and  sent  to  the  inn  for  me,  and,  above  all  things, 
beg  them  to  send  me  plenty  of  wine.  Meanwhile  I  shall 
await  the  Moor's  coming  at  the  inn.  When  the  Moor 
arrives  at  the  Palace,  thy  parents  should  welcome  him 
graciously,  and  they  should  go  so  far  as  to  yield  thee  to 
him  in  order  to  avoid  a  quarrel.  And  I  know  exactly 
the  spot  where  I  shall  be  able  to  rescue  thee,  if  it  may  so 
please  the  true  God,  and  if  my  customary  good  luck,  and 
my  strength,  do  not  desert  me." 

The  Prince  returned  to  the  inn,  and  the  maiden  hastened 
back  to  the  Palace. 

When  the  Sultan  and  the  Sultana  knew  that  Marko  had 
come  to  their  aid,  they  were  much  comforted,  and  imme- 
diately ordered  a  sumptuous  repast  to  be  sent  to  him, 
especially  good  red  wine  in  abundance. 
Now  all  the  shops  in  Istamboul  were  closed,  and  there 
was  silence  everywhere  as  Marko  sat  drinking  the 
delicious  wine  in  peace.  The  landlord  of  the  inn  came 
presently  to  close  his  doors  and  windows,  and,  questioned 
by  Marko  as  to  why  the  citizens  were  all  shutting  up  their 
dwellings  so  early  that  day,  he  answered  :  <c  By  my  faith* 
you  are  indeed  a  stranger  here !  The  Moorish  chieftain 
has  asked  for  our  Sultan's  daughter  in  marriage,  and  as, 
to  our  shame,  she  is  to  be  yielded  to  him,  he  is  coming  to 
the  Palace  to  fetch  her  this  day.  Therefore,  owing  to  our 
terror  of  the  Moor,  we  are  forced  to  close  our  shops." 

78 


Sharatz  &  Bedevia 

But  Marko  did  not  allow  the  man  to  close  the  door  of  the 
inn,  for  he  wished  to  see  the  Moor  and  his  gorgeous  train 
pass  by. 

The  Moor  in  Istamboul 

At  that  very  moment,  as  they  were  speaking,  Marko  could 
hear  from  the  city  the  clangour  caused  by  the  Moorish 
chieftain  and  his  black  followers,  numbering  at  least  five 
hundred,  and  all  in  glittering  armour.  The  Moor  had 
roused  his  Bedevia,  and  she  trotted  in  such  a  lively 
manner  that  the  stones,  which  she  threw  up  with  her 
hoofs,  whizzed  through  the  air  in  all  directions,  and 
broke  windows  and  doors  in  all  the  shops  she  passed  ! 
When  the  cavalcade  came  up  to  the  inn,  the  Moor 
thought :  "  Allah !  I  am  struck  with  wonder  and 
astonishment  1  The  windows  and  doors  of  all  the  shops 
and  houses  throughout  the  entire  city  of  Istamboul  are 
closed  from  the  great  fear  the  people  have  of  me,  except, 
I  see,  the  doors  of  this  inn.  There  must  either  be  nobody 
within,  or  if  there  is  anybody  inside,  he  is  assuredly  a 
great  fool ;  or  perhaps  he  is  a  stranger,  and  has  not  yet 
been  told  how  terrible  I  am."  The  Moor  and  his  retinue 
passed  that  night  in  tents  before  the  Palace. 
Next  morning  the  Sultan  himself  presented  his  daughter 
to  the  Moorish  chieftain,  together  with  all  the  wedding 
gifts,  which  were  known  to  weigh  twelve  tovars.  As  the 
wedding  procession  passed  the  inn  where  Marko  waited, 
the  Moor  again  noticed  the  open  door,  but  this  time  he 
urged  Bedevia  right  up  to  it  to  see  who  might  be  there. 

Sharatz  and  Bedevia 

Marko  was  seated  at  his  ease  in  the  most  comfortable 

room  the  inn  could  boast,  leisurely  drinking  his  favourite 

79 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

red  wine ;  he  was  not  drinking  from  an  ordinary  goblet, 
but  from  a  bowl  which  held  twelve  litres  ;  and  each  time 
he  filled  the  bowl  he  would  drink  only  one  half  of  its 
contents,  giving,  according  to  his  habit,  the  other  half  to 
his  Sharatz.  The  Moor  was  on  the  point  of  attacking 
Marko,  when  Sharatz  barred  his  way  and  kicked  viciously 
at  Bedevia.  The  Moor,  meeting  such  unexpected  resist- 
ance, promptly  turned  to  rejoin  the  procession.  Then 
Marko  rose  to  his  feet,  and,  turning  his  cloak  and  cap 
inside  out,  so  that  to  the  first  glance  of  those  who  saw 
him  he  presented  the  terrifying  appearance  of  a  wolf, 
inspected  his  weapons  and  Sharatz's  belts  carefully,  and 
dashed  on  his  charger  after  the  procession.  He  felled 
horsemen  right  and  left,  till  he  reached  the  dever  and  the 
second  witness,  and  killed  them  both.  The  Moorish 
chieftain  was  immediately  told  of  the  stranger  who  had 
forced  his  way  into  the  midst  of  the  procession,  and  of 
those  whom  he  had  killed,  also  that  he  did  not  look  like 
other  knights,  being  clad  in  wolves'  skins. 

Marko  and  the  Moor 

The  Moor  astride  his  Bedevia,  wheeled  round  and 
addressed  Marko  thus :  "  111  fortune  is  indeed  overtaking 
thee  to-day,  O  stranger  1  Thou  must  have  been  driven  here 
by  Satan  to  disturb  my  guests  and  even  kill  my  dever  and 
second  witness;  thou  must  be  either  a  fool,  knowing 
nothing  of  to-day's  events,  or  thou  must  be  extremely 
fierce  and  hast  gone  mad;  but  maybe  thou  art  merely 
tired  of  life  ?  By  my  faith,  I  shall  draw  in  the  reins  of  my 
Bedevia,  and  shall  spring  over  thy  body  seven  times; 
then  shall  I  strike  off  thy  head ! "  Thereupon  Marko 
answered :  "  Cease  these  lies,  O  Moor !  If  God,  and  my 
usual  luck,  do  but  attend  me  now,  thou  shalt  not  even 
80 


Marko  slays  the  Moor 

spring  near  to  me ;  still  less  can  I  imagine  thee  carrying  out 
thy  intention  of  springing  over  my  body !  "  But,  behold ! 
The  Moor  drew  in  his  Bedevia,  spurred  her  violently  for- 
ward and  indeed  he  would  have  sprung  over  Marko,  had  not 
Sharatz  been  the  well-trained  fighter  that  he  was,  and  in  a 
trice  he  reared  so  as  to  receive  the  adversary  against  his 
forefeet  and  swiftly  bit  off  Bedevia's  right  ear,  from  which 
blood  gushed  forth  profusely  and  streamed  down  over  her 
neck  and  chest.  In  this  way  Marko  and  the  Moor  struggled 
for  four  hours.  Neither  would  give  way,  and  when  finally 
the  Moor  saw  that  Marko  was  overpowering  him,  he  wheeled 
his  steed  Bedevia  round  and  fled  along  the  main  street  of 
Istamboul,  Marko  after  him.  But  the  Moor's  Bedevia 
was  swift  as  a  veela  of  the  forest,  and  would  certainly  have 
escaped  from  Sharatz  if  Marko  had  not  suddenly  recollected 
his  club,  and  flung  it  after  his  adversary,  striking  him 
between  his  shoulders.  The  Moor  fell  from  his  horse  and 
the  Prince  severed  his  head  from  his  body.  Next  he 
captured  Bedevia,  returned  to  the  street  where  he  had 
left  the  bride,  and  found,  to  his  astonishment,  that  she  with 
her  twelve  tovars  of  presents,  was  alone,  awaiting  him,  for  all 
the  wedding-guests  and  the  retinue  of  the  Moorish  chieftain 
had  fled  at  full  gallop.  Marko  escorted  the  Princess  back 
to  the  Sultan,  and  cast  the  head  of  the  Moorish  chieftain 
at  his  feet. 

The  hero  now  took  his  leave  and  started  at  once  on  his 
journey  back  to  Prilip,  and  the  following  morning  he 
received  the  seven  tovars  of  gold  which  had  been  pro- 
mised to  him,  the  many  precious  gifts  which  the  Princess 
had  described,  and  last  of  all  a  message  thanking  him  for 
the  marvellous  deeds  he  had  done,  and  telling  him  that 
the  vast  stores  of  gold  belonging  to  his  father-in- God,  the 
Sultan,  would  for  ever  be  at  his  disposal.  tvU>^  * 

F  81 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

PRINCE  MARKO  ABOLISHES 
THE  WEDDING  TAX 

Early  one  morning  the  Royal  Prince  Marko  rode  across 
the  plain  of  Kossovo.  When  he  reached  the  river  a 
maiden  from  Kossovo  met  him,  and  Marko  greeted  her 
in  the  usual  Serbian  custom :  "  May  God  aid  thee,  O 
maiden  of  Kossovo  ! " 

The  maiden  bowed  very  profoundly,  and  answered :  "  Hail ! 
thou  unknown  hero  !  " 

Marko,  after  having  looked  for  a  while  at  her,  said  : 
"  Dear  sister,  thou  maiden  of  Kossovo,  thou  art  beauteous, 
though  thou  mightest  well  be  a  little  younger !  Thou 
art  tall,  strong  and  graceful;  thy  cheeks  look  healthful 
and  thou  hast  a  pleasing  and  dignified  appearance.  But, 
alas !  dear  sister,  thy  hair  is  grey  and  becomes  thee  not. 
Who  caused  thy  sorrow  ?  Tell  me,  is  it  thyself,  thy 
mother  or  thy  aged  father." 

The  maiden  shed  many  bitter  tears,  and  amidst  her  sobs 
answered  Marko  thus :  "  O  dear  brother,  thou  unknown 
knight !  I  am  not  the  cause  of  mine  own  misfortune,  and 
it  is  neither  my  mother  nor  yet  my  father  who  has  brought 
great  trouble  upon  me;  but  I  have  lost  all  happiness 
through  the  evil-doing  of  a  Moor  who  dwells  beyond  the 
sea.  He  has  taken  possession  of  the  whole  field  of 
Kossovo  and  has  imposed,  among  other  extortions,  a 
terrible  tax  of  thirty  ducats  to  be  paid  by  all  brides,  and 
thirty-four  ducats  by  all  bridegrooms.  My  brothers  are 
poor  and  have  not  the  money  necessary  to  pay  my  tax, 
therefore  I  am  unable  to  wed  my  sweetheart  and  have  thus 
lost  all  happiness.  Merciful  God,  should  I  not  go  and 
take  my  life?" 

Thereupon  Prince  Marko  said  :  "  Dear  sister,  thou  maiden 
82 


Marko  visits  the  Moor 

of  Kossovo  1  Do  not  trifle  with  thy  life  ;  abandon  every 
such  idea,  else  thou  shalt  bring  sin  upon  thy  soul !  Tell 
me,  where  is  the  castle  where  the  Moorish  Lord  may  be 
found  ?  I  think  I  have  something  to  say  to  him  !  " 
To  this  the  maiden  answered :  "  O  my  brother,  thou  un- 
known knight  I  Why  dost  thou  inquire  about  his  castle  ? 
How  I  wish  it  could  be  razed  to  the  ground !  Thou  hast, 
perhaps,  found  a  maiden  according  to  thy  heart  and  thou 
goest  now  to  pay  the  wedding  tax,  or  art  thou  the  only 
son  of  thy  dear  mother?  I  fear  for  thee,  O  brother, 
for  thou  mayest  perish  there,  and  what  then  would  thy 
sorrowful  and  lonely  mother  do  ?  " 

Marko  plunged  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  took  out  a  purse 
and  handed  it  to  the  maiden  saying:  "O  sister  1  take 
these  thirty  ducats,  go  home  and  await  in  peace  for  what 
may  befall  thee ; l  only  kindly  point  out  to  me  the  castle 
of  the  Moor,  for  I  am  going  to  pay  him  thy  wedding 
tax!" 

Thereupon  the  maiden,  glowing  with  unexpected  happiness 
spoke  thus :  "  It  is  not  a  castle,  but  tents  (and  may  they 
be  cursed  !).  Seest  thou  not  upon  the  plain  where  flutters 
that  silken  flag  ?  There  is  the  Moor's  own  pavilion ; 
around  it  grows  a  pleasant  garden  which  he  has  dared  to 
decorate  with  the  heads  of  seventy-seven  Christian  heroes, 
and  he  has  forty  servants,  who  are,  day  and  night,  on 
guard  near  by." 

Marko  visits  the  Moor 

Upon  hearing  these  words  Marko  took  leave  of  the 
maiden  and  rode  toward  the  tents.  He  urged  his  steed 
so  violently  that  under  his  hoofs  living  fire  shone,  and 

1  Literally,  "  until  thy  good  luck  calls  thee,"  and  means  in  Serbia  until 
she  marries. 

83 


Tales  ft?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

from  his  nostrils  appeared  a  bright  blue  flame.  Mad  with 
anger  Marko  rode  fiercely  across  the  camp  and,  with  tears 
streaming  from  his  eyes  which  were  fixed  upon  the  plain 
of  Kossovo  he  exclaimed:  "Alas,  O  plain  of  Kossovo! 
Oh !  to  think  that  thou  shouldst  have  remained  to  see 
this  day !  And,  after  the  reign  of  our  great  Emperor,1 
that  thou  shouldst  be  here  to  witness  the  tyranny  of  a 
Moor !  Can  I  endure  such  shame  and  sorrow  :  Oh !  that 
the  Moors  should  be  allowed  to  ravage  thee  1  Now 
shall  I  either  avenge  thee,  or  perish  ! " 
The  sentinels  observed  Marko's  arrival  and  went  to  in- 
form their  Lord :  "  O  Master,  thou  Moor  !  A  strange 
and  fierce  hero,  riding  a  piebald  steed,  is  approaching; 
and  it  is  plain  that  he  intends  to  attack  us." 
But  the  Moor  answered  indifferently  :  "  O  my  children, 
ye  forty  true  servants  of  mine  !  That  hero  will  not  attack 
us.  He  is  undoubtedly  bringing  his  wedding  tax  and, 
because  he  regrets  the  amount  of  money  he  has  to  give 
up,  he  is  impatiently  urging  on  his  charger.  You  had  better 
go  forth  and  welcome  him  ;  take  his  steed  and  his  weapons 
from  him  and  show  him  to  my  tent.  I  do  not  care  for 
his  treasure,  but  I  am  quite  willing  to  cleave  his  head  and 
seize  his  courser,  which  would  suit  me  well !  " 
The  servants  went  forth  to  obey,  but  when  they  saw  Marko 
near,  they  were  so  terrified  that  they  did  not  dare  face 
him,  but  fled  to  hide  themselves  behind  their  chieftain, 
concealing  their  yataghans  under  their  cloaks  at  the  sight 
of  Marko. 

As  the  fierce  Prince  came  up,  he  alighted  in  front  of  the 
opening  of  the  tent  and  spoke  aside  to  his  trusty  courser : 
"  Walk  about  alone,  my  Sharo,"  said  he,  "for  I  am  going 
into  this  tent  to  see  the  Moor;  go  not  too  far  from  this 
1  This  is  a  reference  to  Lazar,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Kossovo. 

84 


Marko  pays  for  All 

spot,  as  should  evil  happen  I  may  have  need  of  thee  !  " 
Then  Marko  entered  the  pavilion. 

The  Moorish  chieftain  sat  enjoying  cool  wine  which  was 
poured  out  for  him  by  a  Christian  woman  and  a  maiden. 
The  princely  Marko  saluted  the  Moor :  "  May  God  help 
thee,  my  Lord  !  "  The  Moorish  chieftain  answered  : 
"  Hail,  thou  unknown  knight !  Be  seated,  that  we  may 
drink  wine  together  ere  thou  dost  tell  me  why  thou  hast 
come  hither  !  " 

Prince  Marko  answered  :  "  I  have  no  time  to  drink  with 
thee;  but  I  have  come  with  the  intention  of  seeing  thee. 
I  have  found  a  maiden  after  my  own  heart,  my  guests 
and  their  horses  await  me  a  little  way  down  the  road, 
while  I  came  to  pay  thee  my  wedding  tax.  I  shall  at  once 
give  thee  the  gold  so  that  nothing  may  hinder  my 
happiness.  Tell  me  now,  what  must  I  pay  ?  " 
The  Moor  answered  in  a  very  friendly  manner :  "  Well, 
thou  oughtest  to  have  known  that  long  ago :  it  was  thirty 
ducats  for  brides  and  thirty-four  for  bridegrooms;  but 
as  thou  appearest  to  be  a  distinguished  knight,  it  would 
not  hurt  either  of  us  if  thou  gavest  me  a  round  hundred 
ducats ! " 

Prince  Marko  took  out  of  his  pocket  three  ducats  and  laid 
them  before  the  haughty  Moor,  saying :  "  Believe  me  I 
have  no  more  money ;  I  should  be  grateful  if  thou 
wouldest  wait  till  I  reach  my  bride's  house,  for  there  we 
shall  certainly  receive  many  rich  presents.  I  shall  give 
thee  all  the  presents  and  will  retain  the  bride  only  for 
myself!" 

Marko  pays  for  All 

Thereupon  the  mighty  Moor  shouted  out,  bitterly  enraged  : 

"  I  allow  no  credit,  thou  wretch  !     Thou  art  bold  enough 

85 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

to  laugh  at  me!  "     Then  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  raised  his 
club  and  struck  Marko's  shoulders  three  or  four  times. 
Marko  smiling,  said  :  "  Heroic  Moor,  dost  thou  strike  in 
earnest  or  dost  thou  merely  strike  in  jest  ?  " 
The  Moor,  continuing  the  assault,  hissed  :  "  I  beat  thee 
in  earnest ! " 

Marko  smiled  again,  and  remarked  :  "  Oh,  then,  I  pity 
thee !  Since  thou  art  striking  with  serious  intent,  know 
then  that  I  too  have  a  club.  Now  I  shall  smite  thee  as 
many  times  as  thou  hast  struck  me,  no  more  than  that ! 
Let  us  make  it  a  fair  fight!"  With  this,  Marko  raised 
his  mace  'and  smote  the  Moor  with  such  force  that  his 
head  fell  from  his  shoulders ! 

At  this  Marko  burst  into  laughter :  "  Merciful  God, 
mayest  thou  be  thanked!  How  quickly  the  Moorish 
hero's  head  was  cleft  asunder !  It  now  lies  just  as  if  it 
had  never  been  upon  his  shoulders !  " 
He  now  unsheathed  his  sword,  and  caught  the  Moor's 
bodyguard,  cleaving  also  their  heads  one  after  the  other, 
except  four  of  their  number,  whom  he  left  to  tell  the  tale 
to  all  who  wished  to  hear  the  truth.  Then  he  took  down 
the  heads  of  the  Christian  heroes  and  carefully  buried 
them,  that  wolves  and  vultures  might  not  devour  them. 
He  next  instructed  the  four  remaining  servants  to  run 
across  the  field  of  Kossovo,  north,  east,  south,  and  west, 
and  to  proclaim  to  all  that  maids  and  youths  were  hence- 
forth free  to  marry  without  paying  the  hated  tax,  for  had 
not  the  Royal  Prince  Marko  come  and  paid  once  for  all  ? 
When  the  oppressed  Christians  learned  the  news,  they  all, 
young  and  old,  joined  in  the  joyful  cry :  "  May  God  grant 
Royal  Prince  Marko  long  life !  For  Marko  has  freed  our 
land  of  a  monster !  We  pray  to  God  that  his  soul  may 
be  purified  of  all  sin." 
86 


But  thanks  to  Sharatz  I  got  farther  and  fart Jier  from  him  " 


86 


Prince  Marko  &  Bogdan  the  Bully 

/ 

PRINCE  MARKO  AND  BOGDAN 
THE  BULLY 

Early  one  morning  three  Serbian  knights  rode  out  from 
Kossovo ;  one  was  Prince  Marko  of  Prilip ;  the  second 
was  Relya  of  Bazar,  and  the  third  was  Milosh  of  Potzerye. 
They  were  bound  for  the  seashore,  and  their  way  lay 
through  the  vineyards  of  Bogdan  the  Bully.  Relya  of 
Bazar  was  a  joyous  young  knight,  and  he  encouraged  his 
steed  to  prance  gaily  through  the  vineyard,  whereby  he 
broke  some  of  the  tall  vines  loaded  with  sweet  grapes. 
Marko  admonished  his  friend  thus  :  "  Thou  hadst  better 
leave  these  vineyards  alone,  O  my  Relya !  If  thou  only 
knewest  whose  they  are  thou  would st  keep  thy  courser 
under  careful  control :  for  they  belong  to  Bogdan  the  Bully. 
Once  I,  myself,  was  riding  through  these  very  vineyards, 
and  as  I  was  young  then,  I  also  made  my  Sharatz  prance 
along,  as  thou  art  doing.  But,  alas  1  I  was  seen  by  Bogdan 
riding  on  his  slender  mare  Bedevia.  I  knew  that  I  was 
at  fault  and,  as  the  true  God  does  not  support  guilty  men, 
I  dared  not  face  him,  but  fled  up  the  rocky  coast.  He 
pursued  me,  and  if  I  had  not  had  my  trusty  Sharatz  he 
would  indeed  have  caught  me.  But  thanks  to  Sharatz  I 
at  last  got  farther  and  farther  from  him.  When  Bogdan 
saw  that  at  the  rate  I  was  fleeting  he  could  never  reach 
me,  he  swiftly  threw  his  club  after  me  and  just  touched 
my  back  with  its  handle,  so  that  I  fell  forward  over  on 
the  ears  of  my  Sharatz  and  regained  my  seat  only  by  a 
great  effort.  However,  I  did  escape  him.  This  happened 
some  seven  years  ago,  since  when  I  have  not  come  this 
way  until  to-day." 

As  Marko  said  this,  the  three  knights  noticed  in  the  dis- 
tance a  cloud  of  dust,  in  the  midst  of  which  they  recognized 

8; 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Bogdan  with  twelve  attendants  on  horseback.  Marko 
exclaimed :  "  Hark  ye,  my  two  brothers-in-God  !  Here 
he  is  !  and  he  will  surely  kill  all  three  of  us  if  we  do  not 
make  our  escape." 

To  this  Milosh  of  Potzerye  answered :  "  O  my  brother- 
in-God,  thou  Royal  Prince  Marko!  The  whole  people 
believe  that  there  are  no  greater  heroes  living  than  we 
three  Serbian  knights ;  it  would  be  far  better  for  us  all  to 
perish  than  shamefully  to  flee !  " 

When  Marko  heard  this,  he  said  :  "  Listen  to  me,  my 
brothers-in-God  !  Since  that  is  so,  let  us  divide  the  enemy. 
Will  ye  face  Bogdan  alone  or  his  twelve  knights  ?  " 
Milosh  and  Relya  chose  to  fight  Bogdan  alone,  leaving 
Marko  to  meet  the  twelve  followers.  This  division  was 
quite  agreeable  to  Marko,  and  it  was  hardly  arranged 
than  Bogdan  came  up  at  the  head  of  his  troop.  He  was 
immediately  engaged  by  Milosh  and  Relya,  while  Marko 
turned  his  attention  to  the  twelve  attendants.  Swinging 
his  heavy  mace  he  urged  Sharatz  against  his  foes,  and  in 
'a  very  short  time  all  were  hurled  to  the  ground.  Marko 
then  alighted  from  his  horse,  bound  their  hands  behind 
them,  and  drove  them  through  the  vineyards. 
He  had  gone  but  a  little  distance  when  he  saw  Bogdan 
driving  toward  him  his  two  friends,  their  arms  bound 
in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  Bogdan's  followers.  At 
this  Marko  was  seized  with  fear  and  looked  around 
for  a  means  of  escape.  The  next  moment  he  remem- 
bered that  the  three  brothers-in-God  had  sworn  faith- 
fulness one  to  another,  and  that  they  were  pledged  at 
all  times  to  help  one  another.  So  tightening  Sharatz's 
reins  he  drew  his  helmet  over  his  forehead,  furiously 
unsheathed  his  trusty  sabre,  and  cast  one  fierce,  dark 
glance  at  Bogdan. 
88 


Prince  Marko  &  General  Voutcha 

The  Bully  fears  to  meet  Marko 
When  the  Bully  saw  the  terrific  fury  and  determination  in 
Marko's  eyes  his  legs  shook  beneath  him,  and  he  turned 
his  mare  away,  not  daring  to  meet  Marko  face  to  face. 
He  could  not,  however,  hope  to  escape  the  vengeance  of 
the  Prince,  and  so  after  a  short  silence  he  called  out: 
"  Come,  O  Marko,  let  us  be  reconciled.  Wilt  thou  release 
my  twelve  attendants?  If  thou  art  willing  to  do  that  I 
shall  in  turn  set  free  thy  brothers-in-God." 
Marko  agreed  to  this,  and  alighting  from  Sharatz,  he 
unhooked  from  his  saddle  a  skin  of  wine,  and  they  all  sat 
down  to  refresh  themselves  with  the  cool  wine  and  to 
partake  of  freshly  gathered  grapes.  When  they  had 
rested,  the  three  friends  mounted  their  horses  and  pre- 
pared to  depart.  As  they  were  about  to  ride  off  Marko 
thus  addressed  Bogdan :  "  Mayest  thou  prosper  with 
God's  help,  O  Bogdan  !  And  may  we  meet  again  some 
day  in  good  health  and  once  more  drink  together ! " 
To  this  Bogdan  replied  :  "  Farewell  1  and  may  God  ever 
help  thee,  O  thou  Royal  Prince  Marko  !  But  may  my 
eyes  never  again  behold  thee !  Seeing  how  thou  hast 
terrified  me  this  day,  I  do  not  think  that  I  shall  wish  ever 
to  meet  thee  again  ! " 

PRINCE  MARKO  AND  GENERAL 
VOUTCHA 

Hark !  Is  it  thunder  or  is  it  an  earthquake  ?  Neither, 
but  guns  are  roaring  from  fort  Varadin :  General 
Voutcha  is  feasting  in  triumph,  for  he  has  captured  three 
Serbian  heroes ;  the  first  is  Milosh  of  Potzerye,  the 
second  is  Milan  of  Toplitza,  and  the  third  is  Ivan 
Kosantchitch.  The  General  has  thrown  them  into  the 


Tales  <§f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

deepest   dungeons    of   his    castle,    noisome   holes   where 
stagnant  water  lies  knee-deep  and  the  bones  of  warriors 
lie  piled  as  high  as  the  shoulders  of  a  hero. 
Milosh  of  Potzerye  is  of  noble  lineage,  unaccustomed  to 
privation  and  suffering,  and  he  bitterly  laments  and  deplores 
his  fate,  as  he  peers  anxiously  through  the  grating  of  the 
massive  door  into  the  dark  passage  by  which  alone  succour 
might   come.     And,  indeed,  after  three   days  he  saw  a 
messenger,  to  whom  he  called :  "  O,  my  brother-in-God  1 
Bring  me  that  whereon  I  may  inscribe  a  missive !  " 
The  man  was  pleased  to  be  called  a  brother-in-God  of 
such  a  famous  hero  and  swiftly  brought  a  roll  to  Milosh, 
who   inscribed   on   it  the    following   words :     "  To    the 
Royal  Prince  Marko  of  Prilip :    O  brother-in-God,  thou 
princely   Marko !     Either   thou   dost   not  want   to   hear 
more  of  me  or  thou  hast  ceased  to  care  for  me  !     Fate 
has    been   hard,   and   I  have  fallen,  O  brother,  into  the 
hands  of  a  foe.     The  Magyar  Voutcha  has  captured  me 
and  my  two  brothers-in-arms.     We  have  been  immured 
in  this   vile   dungeon   for   three   whole   days,  and   it   is 
impossible  that  we  should  remain  for  another  three  days 
and  live.     Therefore,  if  thou  wouldst  see  us  again,  rescue 
us,  O  brother,  either  by  heroic  deeds  or  by  ransom ! " 
Milosh  scratched  his  cheek  and  sealed  the  missive  with 
his  blood ;  he  then  handed  it  to  the  man,  together  with 
twelve  ducats,  and  implored   him  to  hasten  with  it   to 
Prilip.     The  messenger  rode  with  all  speed,  arriving  at 
the  city  of  Prilip  on  a  Sunday  morning.     Prince  Marko 
was  coming  out  of  church  when  the  courier  dashed  up  to 
him  with  the  missive.     As  the  Prince  read  of  the  terrible 
straits  in  which   his  friends  found  themselves  tears  ran 
down  his  cheeks,  and  he  swore  that  he  would  save  his 
noble  brothers-in-God. 
90 


The  Arrival  of  Marko 

The  bard  here  describes  Marko's  preparations  in  much 
the  same  manner  as  in  the  ballad,  "  Prince  Marko  and  the 
Moorish  Chieftain."  Next  he  tells  of  the  journey  from 
Prilip  to  Varadin,  but  not  without  exaggerating  as  a 
matter  of  course,  the  wonderful  alertness  of  Sharatz,  who, 
on  this  occasion,  swam  across  the  Danube. 

The  Arrival  of  Marko 

Arrived  on  the  plain  before  the  castle  of  Varadin,  Marko 
spread  his  tent,  unhooked  his  skin  of  wine,  the  contents  of 
which  he  drank  from  a  bowl  *  containing  twelve  okas ' 
(about  forty-eight  pints),  never  forgetting  to  have  half 
the  quantity  of  wine  each  time  he  filled  the  bowl,  for 
his  beloved  Sharatz.  This  action  was  observed  by  a 
fair  Magyar  lady,  the  wife  of  General  Voutcha's  son 
Velimir,  and  being  alarmed  at  seeing  such  a  strange  hero, 
she  was  suddenly  seized  with  a  fever  ('  which  will  torture 
her  for  three  years ')  and  hastened  to  tell  the  General 
what  she  had  seen,  and  described  to  him  every  detail 
of  Marko's  attire. 

But  General  Voutcha,  feigning  indifference,  comforted 
his  beloved  daughter-in-law,  promising  that  he  would 
capture  him  as  easily  as  he  had  captured  the  three 
knights  already  lying  in  his  dungeons.  Voutcha  called 
his  son,  whom  he  ordered  to  take  three  hundred  horse- 
men, and  seize  the  haughty  stranger  immediately. 
Marko  sitting  and  enjoying  his  wine,  did  not  see  the  ap- 
proach of  Velimir,  but  the  faithful  Sharatz  began  striking  the 
earth  with  his  right  forefoot,  thus  warning  his  unobservant 
master.  Marko  understood,  turned  his  head,  and  saw 
that  a  whole  squadron  was  surrounding  him ;  so  he  drank 
one  more  bowl  of  wine,  threw  the  vessel  on  the  grass, 
sprang  on  to  his  horse  and  fiercely  attacked  the  army,  *  as 


Tales  $5?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

a  falcon  attacks  the  timid  pigeons/  One  portion  he  cut 
to  pieces,  the  second  he  ran  down  with  his  Sharatz,  and 
the  third  he  drowned  in  the  Danube. 
But  Velimir  nearly  escaped  him,  thanks  to  his  own  speedy 
charger.  When  Marko  saw  that  Sharatz,  tired  out,  could 
not  possibly  come  up  with  Velimir's  horse,  he  remembered 
his  mace,  which  he  now  hurled  so  skilfully  that  the  heavy 
handle  only  touched  the  youth  with  sufficient  force  to 
fling  him  to  the  earth.  Marko  was  by  his  side 
immediately  and  he  had  Velimir  securely  bound,  where- 
upon he  threw  him  down  on  to  the  soft,  green  grass,  and 
went  on  drinking  more  of  his  wine. 

Velimir's  wife  had  witnessed  the  whole  of  the  proceedings, 
and  she  now  ran  swiftly  to  the  General,  who  was  furious 
at  the  intelligence  and  ordered  all  the  siege-guns  to  be 
fired.  Then  he  collected  three  thousand  warriors  and 
mounting  his  mare  he  led  this  host  against  Marko. 
The  Magyars  completely  surrounded  the  hero,  but  Marko 
saw  nothing  of  it  as  he  went  on  sipping  his  wine. 
Sharatz,  however,  was  watchful  and  came  to  the  side  .of, 
his  master,  who,  realizing  his  critical  position,  sprang  to 
the  saddle  and,  more  furious  than  before,  rushed  fiercely  at 
the  Magyars,  with  his  sabre  in  his  right  hand,  his  lance 
in  his  left,  and  Sharatz's  reins  held  firmly  in  his  teeth. 
Those  whom  he  struck  with  his  sabre,  he  cut  in  two ; 
those  he  touched  with  his  lance,  were  thrown  over  his 
head. 

Marko  captures  General  Voutcha 

After  three  or  four  encounters  Marko  had  killed  so  many 

Magyars  that  those  who  were  left,  filled  with  horror,  fled 

in  disorder.     Marko  next  captured  General  Voutcha  in 

the  same  manner  as  he  had  his  son,  and  after  tying  his 

92 


Marko  captures  General  Voutcha 

hands,  bound  him  to  his  Sharatz's  saddle  and  carried  him 
off  to  where  Velimir  lay  groaning.  Making  the  two  of 
them  fast  to  the  General's  mare,  he  proceeded  to  Prilip 
and  cast  them  prisoners  into  a  dungeon. 
A  few  days  later  he  received  a  letter  from  Voutcha's  wife, 
beseeching  him  not  to  destroy  Velimir  and  his  father,  and 
offering  him  vast  sums  of  gold  as  ransom.  And  Marko 
sent  the  following  answer  :  "  Behold !  thou  faithful  consort 
of  General  Voutcha !  If  thou  desireth  that  I  should  release 
my  prisoners,  thou  hast  but  to  release  my  old  friends  Milan 
of  Toplitza  and  Ivan  Kosantchitch  and  give  to  each  three 
tovars  of  gold  to  compensate  for  the  time  he  has  wasted 
in  prison ;  and  thou  must  also  give  me  a  like  sum,  for  I 
have  had  to  overwork  my  good  Sharatz.  And  there  is 
still  my  friend  Milosh  of  Potzerye  within  your  castle,  but 
I  authorize  him  to  settle  his  own  affairs  with  you  in 
person,  for  I  agree  to  whatsoever  he  may  arrange." 
The  wife  of  the  Generallost  no  time  in  sending  the 
required  quantity  of  gold.  Then  she  took  the  keys  of  the 
dungeons,  and  released  the  heroes ;  sent  for  a  number  of 
barbers  to  shave  their  beards,  and  to  attend  to  their  hair 
and  nails.  'She-next  ordered  a  large  quantity  of  the  finest 
wines  and  most  costly  dishes  to  be  served  to  the  noble 
Serbians,  and  after  the  fea§t,  she  narrated  to  them 
Marko's  wonderful  deeds,  beseeching  Milosh  of  Potzerye 
to  use  all  his  influence  and  persuade  the  princely  Marko  to 
have  mercy  on  her  husband  and  her  son.  Thereupon  Milosh 
promised  that  her  wish  should  be  gratified,  and  that  she 
had  no  need  to  fear.  Only  he  requested  her  to  give  him  : 
first,  the  best  horse  from  General  Voutcha's  stables,  the 
one  that  Voutcha  rode  once  a  year  to  go  in  state  to  the 
church  at  Tekiye ;  secondly,  the  gilded  coach,  harnessed 
with  twelve  Arabian  coursers  used  by  General  Voutcha 

93 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

when  travelling  to  Vienna  on  his  visits  to  the  Emperor,  for 
in  that  carriage  Milosh  wished  to  drive  home  the  aged 
hero,  Milan  of  Toplitza.  And  finally  he  asked  that  his 
friend  Toplitza  might  be  allowed  to  wear  the  fine  attire 
which  the  General  wore  on  Easter  day.  To  all  this 
Voutcha's  wife  agreed  and,  moreover,  she  gave  each  of 
the  friends  one  thousand  ducats  in  order  that  they  might 
not  be  short  of  wine  on  their  journey  to  Prilip. 
Marko  greeted  the  knights  in  a  warm  brotherly  manner, 
and  then  released  General  Voutcha  and  his  son  Velimir, 
ordering  a  powerful  convoy  to  escort  them  to  Varadin. 
When  the  noble  Serbian  voivodes  had  enjoyed  Marko's 
hospitality  for  several  days  (consuming  during  that  time 
a  formidable  quantity  of  his  red  wine)  they  embraced  and 
kissed  each  other  on  the  cheek ;  the  friends,  in  addition, 
kissing  Marko's  uncovered  hand.  Then  each  proceeded 
in  peace  to  his  own  domains. 

PRINCE  MARKO'S  WEDDING 
PROCESSION 

One  evening  as  Prince  Marko  sat  at  meat  with  his  aged 
mother,  she  requested  him  to  seek  a  maiden  of  his  heart, 
that  she  might  enjoy  the  companionship  and  support  of  a 
daughter-in-law.  Thereupon  Marko  answered :  "  May 
God  be  my  witness,  O  mother  dear !  I  have  journeyed 
through  nine  kingdoms  and  through  the  whole  Turkish 
empire,  and  whenever  I  found  the  maiden  I  wished  to 
make  my  bride,  I  never  found  that  thou  wert  of  the  same 
mind  with  me.  Sometimes  it  was  that  thou  didst  not 
feel  friendly  toward  her  family ;  and  when  I  chanced  to 
find  a  family  to  thy  liking  there  was  never  the  maiden 
thou  didst  desire  for  me !  Howbeit,  when  I  was  wandering 
through  Bulgaria  I  once  reined  my  Sharatz  near  a  well, 

94 


Prince  Marko's  Wedding  Procession 

and  lo !  there  I  saw  a  maiden  so  fair  and  gentle,  that  all 
at  once  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  the  grass  near  where  we  stood 
were  turning  round  us  again  and  again.  Later  I  learned 
that  this  maiden  was  the  daughter  of  King  Shishman  of 
Bulgaria  :  assuredly  this  would  be  the  very  maiden  for  me 
and  a  family  which  would  please  thee  1  If  thou  approvest, 
therefore,  I  will  at  once  go  and  ask  her  in  marriage. " 
Marko's  mother,  delighted  with  this  choice  of  her  son, 
hastened  to  prepare  the  usual  presents  that  very  night, 
for  she  feared  her  son  might  change  his  mind  before 
the  morrow.  Next  morning,  however,  Marko  ordered 
Sharatz  to  be  saddled,  and  slinging  the  necessary  skin  of 
wine  on  one  side  of  the  saddle  and  his  war-club  on  the 
other,  he  took  leave  of  his  mother  and  rode  straight  to 
the  castle  of  King  Shishman. 

The  Bulgarian  sovereign  saw  Marko  while  he  was  still  a 
long  way  off,  and  walked  forth  to  greet  him.  When  he 
was  quite  close,  Marko  alighted  from  Sharatz,  stretched 
out  his  arms  and  the  two  embraced,  each  inquiring  after 
the  state  of  the  other's  health.  The  King  then  led  Marko 
into  the  castle  while  Sharatz  was  taken  by  the  grooms  to 
the  royal  stables. 

A  little  later,  in  the  course  of  the  gorgeous  banquet  which 
had  been  immediately  arranged  in  honour  of  the  princely 
guest,  Marko  sprang  to  his  feet,  bowed  deeply  before  the 
King  and  asked  his  daughter's  hand  in  marriage.  The 
King  was  so  pleased  to  have  such  a  noble  and  valiant 
son-in-law  that  he  consented  without  hesitation.  Marko 
expended  three  tovars  of  gold  on  the  ring  to  be  worn  by 
his  future  bride,  for  her  wedding-robe  and  other  presents. 
Next  he  asked  if  he  might  return  to  Prilip  to  gather  his 
wedding  guests  and  friends,  and  as  he  was  on  the  point 
of  leaving  the  Palace,  the  Queen  specially  advised  the 

95 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Prince  not  to  select  as  the  bride's  leader  one  whom  he 
could  not  trust  implicitly,  but  rather  to  choose  his  own 
brother  or  at  least  a  cousin,  for,  said  she,  a  stranger 
might  possibly  prove  a  rival,  so  charming  and  beauteous 
was  her  daughter. 

When  Marko  came  near  to  Prilip,  his  mother  walked  forth 
to  greet  him,  and,  after  embracing  him  warmly  on  both 
cheeks  and  giving  him  her  fair  hands  to  kiss,  she  inquired 
if  he  had  had  a  prosperous  journey  and  had  become 
betrothed  to  the  Princess.  Marko  narrated  all  that  had 
happened,  and  did  not  forget  to  repeat  the  Queen's  words 
at  parting,  complaining  of  his  great  misfortune  in  that 
his  brothers  were  dead,  neither  had  he  a  cousin.  His 
mother,  filled  with  joy,  advised  Marko  not  to  lament 
because  of  that,  but  to  send  at  once  a  message  to  the 
Doge  of  Venice,  inviting  him  to  come  with  a  company  of 
five  hundred  and  to  act  as  koom ;  also  to  send  to  Styepan 
Zemlyitch,  asking  him  to  join  the  wedding  party  with 
five  hundred  followers  and  to  be  the  bride's  leader. 
Marko  thought  the  counsel  good  and  dispatched  couriers 
forthwith,  as  his  mother  advised.  The  Doge  soon 
appeared  with  his  five  hundred  horsemen  and  Styepan 
Zemlyitch  likewise.  Marko  welcomed  them  cordially 
and  hospitably,  and  there  was  no  lack  of  good  red  wine. 
The  company  now  proceeded  to  the  court  of  the  Bulgarian 
King,  who  received  them  most  heartily  and  feasted  them 
for  three  days.  On  the  fourth  day  the  wedding  party 
prepared  to  return  for  it  was  evident  that  if  the  guests 
were  to  remain  for  another  three  days  the  King  would 
have  no  wine  left.  Shishman  presented  all  with  royal 
gifts  :  to  some  he  gave  silks,  to  others  costly  shirts,  to 
others  again  golden  dishes  and  plates;  to  the  bride's 
leader  was  presented  a  special  shirt  embroidered  in  gold. 


The  Doge  gallantly  raised  the  hanging  at  the  door  96 


The  Unfaithful  Koom 

When  the  bride  was  mounted,  her  royal  father  presented 
her  to  the  bride's  leader  with  these  words:  "Here  are 
now,  in  thy  keeping,  the  bride  and  her  horse  till  thou 
arrivest  at  Marko's  castle ;  once  there  thou  shalt  give 
Marko  the  bride,  but  her  courser  thou  mayst  retain  for 
thyself ! " 

The  Wedding  Procession 

The  procession  rode  on  through  the  Bulgarian  woodland 
and  meadows,  and  as  there  is  no  happiness  without  some 
misfortune,  a  gust  of  wind  blew  aside  for  a  moment  the 
bride's  veil.  The  Doge  of  Venice,  riding  close  by  her 
side,  beheld  the  maiden's  fair  face  and  was  so  fascinated 
by  her  wondrous  beauty  that  he  fell  violently  in  love  with 
her.  When  the  whole  party  of  wedding  guests  halted  for 
the  night,  he  went  unperceived  to  the  tent  of  Styepan 
Zemlyitch,  addressing  him  thus  :  "  O  thou  bride's  leader ! 
Wilt  thou  yield  to  me  thy  charge  that  we  may  flee 
together :  I  will  give  thee  a  bootful  of  golden  ducats  !  " 
Styepan  Zemlyitch  answered  indignantly :  "  Keep  silent, 
thou  Doge  of  Venice  !  Mayest  thou  be  turned  to  stone ! 
Hast  thou  made  up  thy  mind  to  perish !  " 
When  they  reached  the  halting-place  on  the  second  day, 
the  Doge  again  went  secretly  to  the  tent  of  Styepan 
Zemlyitch  and  once  more  asked  for  the  bride,  but  this 
time  he  offered  two  bootfuls  of  ducats.  Again  the  bride's 
leader  refused,  saying :  "  Begone,  O  Doge  !  Lest  thou 
shouldst  have  thy  head  cleft  asunder !  Has  anybody  ever 
heard  of  a  koom  taking  his  kooma  from  her  bridegroom  ?" 

The  Unfaithful  Koom 

When  the  third  night  came,  the  Doge  offered  to  the 
bride's  leader  three  bootfuls  of  pure  golden  ducats.  This 

G  97 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

enormous  sum  of  money  was  too  great  a  temptation  for 
the  bride's  leader,  and  he  gave  up  the  bride  to  the  Doge, 
who  conducted  her  to  his  own  tent.  Then  he  declared  his 
love  to  the  maiden,  and  in  impassioned  tones  implored 
her  to  fly  with  him  to  Venice,  where  he  could  offer  her  all 
that  heart  could  desire.  But  the  Bulgarian  maiden  turned 
from  him  with  loathing.  "  For  pity's  sake,  O  thou  Doge 
of  Venice !  "  said  she,  "  the  earth  under  us  would  surely 
crack  to  swallow  us  and  the  skies  above  us  would  burst 
asunder  if  a  kooma  should  thus  be  false  to  her  bride- 
groom." 

But  the  Doge  persisted :  "  Oh  do  not  be  so  foolish,  my 
sweet  kooma  1  I  have  kissed  and  caressed  many  koomas, 
but  never  once  did  the  earth  open  under  us,  or  the 
heavens  burst  asunder.  Come,  let  us  embrace!"  The 
maiden  thought  it  well  to  dissemble,  and  she  replied: 
"  O  my  koom,  thou  Doge  of  Venice !  My  aged  mother 
told  me  that  I  should  have  her  curse  if  I  ever  kissed  a 
bearded  hero ;  and  I  swore  to  her  that  I  should  love  only 
a  shaven  knight  such  as  is  the  Royal  Prince  Marko." 
Upon  this  the  Doge  called  two  barbers  :  one  to  shave  his 
beard  and  the  other  to  wash  his  face  clean.  As  they  were 
thus  engaged  the  maiden  stooped  and  gathered  up, 
unnoticed,  the  Doge's  beard  and  wrapped  it  in  the  folds 
of  her  silken  robe. 

The  Doge  now  dismissed  the  barbers  and  endeavoured 
afresh  to  make  love  to  the  bride,  who  feigned  coyness 
and  said  that  she  feared  that  they  both  would  surely 
perish  when  Marko  learned  of  what  had  taken  place.  But 
the  Doge  protested :  "  Oh  do  not  be  so  foolish.  I  have 
five  hundred  followers  with  me !  Marko's  tent  stands  far 
away.  Dost  thou  not  see  it  in  the  distance  ?  On  its  top 
is  fixed  a  golden  apple.  In  the  apple  are  placed  two  large 


The  Escape  of  the  Maiden 

diamonds  which  shed  a  light  so  far  and  wide  that  the 
neighbouring  tents  need  no  candles  at  night. 

The  Escape  of  the  Maiden 

The  maiden  pretended  that  she  wished  to  have  a  clear 
view  of  this  wonder,  and  the  Doge  gallantly  raised  the 
hanging  at  the  door  that  she  might  see  more  clearly. 
The  next  moment  she  was  running  swiftly  as  a  deer 
toward  Prince  Marko's  pavilion. 

Marko  was  sleeping,  and  was  greatly  astonished  when 
suddenly  he  was  awakened  by  the  entrance  of  his 
unexpected  visitor.  When  he  recognized  in  the  maiden 
his  future  wife  he  addressed  her  angrily :  "  Thou  maiden 
of  low  birth  !  Is  it  seemly  that  thou  shouldst  visit  me 
contrary  to  all  our  Christian  customs  ?  " 
The  maiden  bowed  low  and  replied :  "  O  my  Lord,  thou 
Royal  Prince  Marko !  I  am  not  a  girl  of  low  birth,  but  of 
most  noble  lineage.  Thou  hast  brought  with  thee  guests  of 
most  evil  dispositions.  Know  then,  that  my  leader  Styepan 
Zemlyitch  sold  me,  thy  bride,  to  the  Doge  of  Venice  for 
three  bootfuls  of  gold  !  If  thou  canst  not  believe  this,  look ! 
Here  is  the  Doge's  beard  1 "  and  she  unfastened  her  robe 
and  took  out  the  Doge's  beard  and  showed  it  to  him. 
Marko's  wrath  was  now  directed  against  his  perfidious 
friends,  and  at  break  of  day,  wrapping  himself  in  his 
wolf-skin  cloak,  and  taking  his  heavy  mace,  he  went 
straight  to  the  bride's  leader  and  to  the  koom,  saying : 
"  Good  morning  to  ye,  O  bride's  leader  and  koom !  Thou 
leader,  where  is  thy  sister-in-law  ?  And  thou,  O  koom, 
where  is  thy  kooma  ?  "  Styepan  Zemlyitch  kept  as  silent 
as  a  stone,  but  the  Doge  said :  "  O  thou  Royal  Prince 
Marko  1  There  are  such  strange  people  about  that  one 
cannot  even  make  a  joke  without  being  misunderstood ! " 

99 


Tales  ft?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

But  Marko  answered  :  "  111  is  thy  joke,  O  thou  Doge  of 

Venice!     Where  is  thy  beard?     It  is  a  very  strange  joke 

to  shave  one's  beard  1 "     The  Doge  would  have  answered, 

but  before  he  could  do  so  Prince  Marko  had  unsheathed 

his  sabre  and  cleft  his  head  in  twain. 

Styepan  Zemlyitch  attempted  to  escape,  but  Marko  rushed 

after  him  and  struck  him  so  neatly  with  his  keen  sabre 

that  he  fell  to  earth  in  two  pieces. 

This    done,    Marko    returned   to   his   tent,  ordered  the 

procession   to  advance,  and   arrived  without  mishap  at 

Prilip. 

PRINCE  MARKO  AND  THE 
MOORISH  PRINCESS 

One  day  the  mother  of  Prince  Marko  spoke  thus  to  her 
son :  "  O,  my  darling  son,  thou  Royal  Prince  Marko ! 
Why  dost  thou  erect  so  many  churches  and  shrines? 
Either  thou  hast  sinned  gravely  before  God  and  thou  art 
in  lowly  penance,  or  thou  must  have  piled  somewhere 
superabundant  wealth?  "  Then  Marko  of  Prilip  answered 
her :  "  My  beloved,  aged  mother  1  I  will  tell  thee  the 
truth.  Once  while  I  travelled  through  the  Moorish 
country  I  rose  early  one  morning  in  order  to  go  and 
refresh  my  Sharatz  at  the  well.  When  I  arrived  there  I 
found  twelve  Moors  who  had  come  for  the  same  purpose, 
and,  as  I,  in  my  pride,  would  not  await  my  turn,  the  twelve 
Moors  opposed  me  because  they  had  come  first.  At  once 
we  began  to  quarrel.  I  lifted  my  heavy  club  and  felled 
one  of  the  Moors,  to  the  earth  ;  his  companions  attacked 
me  and  I  struck  another  to  the  ground ;  ten  assailed  me 
and  I  killed  a  third ;  nine  engaged  me  and  a  fourth  bit 
the  dust;  the  other  eight  rushed  on  me  and  I  knocked 
down  the  fifth ;  seven  strove  with  me  and  I  sent  to 
100 


The  Moorish  Princess 

eternity  the  sixth ;  but  I  had  to  face  the  remaining  six, 
who  overpowered  me ;  they  bound  my  arms  to  my  back 
and  carried  me  to  their  Sultan,  who  flung  me  in  prison. 
There  I  dwelt  for  eight  years  knowing  nothing  of  the 
seasons,  save  that  in  winter  girls  would  play  with  snow- 
balls and  sometimes  fling  them  through  my  prison  bars, 
wherefore  I  knew  that  it  was  winter ;  or  maidens  flung  me 
bunches  of  basil,  and  thus  I  knew  when  it  was  early 
summer. 

The  Moorish  Princess 

"  When  the  eighth  year  broke  upon  me,  it  was  not  my 
dungeon  that  distressed  me  so  much  as  a  Moorish  maiden, 
the  beloved  daughter  of  the  Sultan.  She  annoyed  me  by 
coming  every  morning  and  every  evening  and  calling  to 
me  through  my  dungeon-window:  'Why  shouldst  thou 
perish  in  this  prison,  O  Marko  ?  Give  me  thy  word  that 
thou  art  willing  to  marry  me  and  I  will  release  thee,  and 
thy  Sharatz  too,  I  would  take  with  me,  also,  heaps  of 
golden  ducats ;  as  much,  O  Mark,  as  thou  canst  ever  wish 
to  have.' 

"  At  that  time  I  was  in  very  great  misery  and  despair,  O 
my  mother,  and  so  taking  off  my  cap  and  placing  it  upon 
my  knee  I  addressed  it  thus :  *  By  my  firm  faith  !  I  shall 
never  abandon  thee ;  neither  shall  I  ever  forget  thee,  upon 
my  soul !  The  sun  itself  has  often  changed,  shining  not 
in  winter  as  in  summer,  but  my  promise  shall  be  unbroken 
for  ever ! ' 

"  The  maiden  believed,  in  pleasant  delusion,  that  I  had 
sworn  faithfulness  to  her,  and  so  at  dusk  one  evening  she 
opened  the  doors  of  my  prison,  led  me  along  to  my 
spirited  Sharatz,  having  got  ready  for  herself  a  fine  noble 
charger.  Both  steeds  bore  on  their  backs  bags  filled  with 

101 


Tales*  <§P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

ducats.  The  Moorish  maiden  brought  in  addition  my 
best  tempered  sabre  and  we  sped  swiftly  through  the 
Moorish  lands. 

"  When  darkness  came  upon  us  and  I  flung  myself  on  the 
ground  to  slumber,  the  Moorish  princess  did  likewise,  and 
lo !  she  threw  her  arms  around  me.  And  I  looked  at  her, 

0  my  mother,  and  I  saw  how  black  her  face  was  and 
how  white  were  her  teeth  !     I  shuddered  with  horror  and 
hardly  knowing  what  I  did,  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  mounted 
my  Sharatz,  and  galloped  away  madly,  leaving  her  alone. 
The  maiden  called  after  me  in  anguish :   '  O  my  brother- 
in-God,  thou  Royal  Prince  Marko  1  Leave  me  not  thus ! ' 
But  I  would  not  stay  my  flight. 

"Then  and  there,  O  my  mother,  I  sinned  before  God! 
Then  it  was  that  I  obtained  gold  in  profusion,  and  there- 
fore is  it  that  I  have  built  numberless  churches  and 
shrines  to  expiate*  my  sin  !  " 

PRINCE  MARKO  AND  THE  VEELA 
Prince  Marko  and  Milosh  of  Potzerye  rode  early  one 
morning  across  the  beauteous  mountain  Mirotch,  carrying 
their  lances  and  trotting  their  steeds.  They  loved  each 
other  so  dearly  that  they  would  now  and  then  embrace. 
Suddenly  Marko  began  to  doze  on  his  Sharatz,  and  tried 
to  persuade  his  companion  to  sing  something  in  order 
to  keep  him  awake.  Thereupon  Milosh  answered  :  "  O 
dear  brother-in-God,  thou  Royal  Prince  Marko!  I 
would  gladly  sing  a  song  for  thee,  but  last  night  when 

1  was  with  veela  Raviyoyla,  I  drank  far  too  much  wine, 
and  she  threatened,  in  truth  she  promised,  to  pierce  both 
my  heart  and  my  throat  with  arrows  if  she  ever  heard  me 
sing  again." 

But  Marko  insisted  :  "  Oh  do  sing,  brother  dear !     Fear 

IO2 


11 1  saw  how  black  her  face  was  and  I  shuddered  with  horror 


The  Pursuit  of  the  Veela 

not  the  veela  as  long  as  I,  Prince  Marko,  live;  and  as 
long  as  I  have  Sharatz  and  my  six-edged  club  ! " 
So  Milosh  to  please  his  pobratim,  began  to  sing  a  beauti- 
ful song  telling  of  their  valiant  and  virtuous  ancestors ; 
how  they  had  held  kingdoms  and  ruled  in  succession  over 
the  much-honoured  land  of  Macedonia;  and  how  every 
one  of  those  good  sovereigns  had  erected  a  shrine  or  a 
church. 

The  song  pleased  Marko  so  much  that,  lulled  by  Milosh's 
melodious  voice,  he  fell  asleep.  But  it  happened  that  the 
veela  also  heard  the  song,  and  began  to  sing  in  turn  with 
Milosh,  doing  all  the  time  her  very  best  to  show  him  that 
she  sang  better  than  he  did.  Milosh  really  sang  better, 
for  he  possessed  a  magnificent  voice,  and  this  fact  much 
irritated  the  veela ;  she  took  two  slim  arrows,  twanged 
her  bow,  and  transfixed  first  Milosh's  throat  and  then  his 
heart. 

Milosh  uttered  a  piercing  cry:  "Alas,  O  my  mother! 
Alas,  Marko,  my  brother-in-God  !  The  veela  has  shot 
me  with  her  arrows !  Did  I  not  tell  thee,  O  pobratim, 
that  I  must  not  sing  on  the  mountain  Mirotch  ?  " 

The  Pursuit  of  the  Veela 

This  lamentation  awoke  Marko  at  once.  He  leaped 
lightly  from  the  saddle,  tightly  fastened  his  Sharatz's 
girths,  embraced  him,  and  thus  whispered  in  his  ear  :  "  Lo, 
Skaro,  thou  on  whom  I  depend  for  speed !  Oh,  thou  must 
overtake,  now,  the  veela  Raviyoyla ;  and  I  shall  shoe  thy 
hoofs  with  pure  silver  and  gild  them  with  the  finest  gold ; 
I  shall  cover  thee  with  a  silken  cloak  reaching  to  thy 
knees,  and  on  it  I  shall  fasten  fine  silk  tassels  to  hang 
from  thy  knees  to  thy  hoofs  ;  thy  mane  shall  I  intertwine 
with  threads  of  gold  and  adorn  it  with  rare  .pearls.  But, 

103 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

woe  to  thee  if  thou  reachest  not  the  veela !  Both  thy 
eyes  shall  I  tear  out ;  thy  four  legs  shall  I  break ;  and  I 
shall  abandon  thee  here  and  thou  shalt  for  ever  creep  from 
one  fir-tree  to  another,  exactly  as  I  should  do  if  I  lost  my 
dear  brother  Milosh !  " 

Then  Marko  sprang  upon  Sharatz,  and  rode  swiftly  after 
the  veela.  Raviyoyla  was  already  flying  over  the  moun- 
tain top,  and  when  Sharatz  caught  sight  of  her  he  bounded 
fiercely  forward,  leaping  to  the  height  of  three  lances  in 
the  air,  and  covering  the  length  of  four  lances  at  each 
bound.  In  a  few  moments  Sharatz  came  up  with  the 
veela,  who,  greatly  affrighted,  flew  upward  to  the  clouds. 
But  Marko  pitilessly  hurled  his  far-reaching  club  and 
struck  her  between  the  white  shoulders,  and  she  fell 
instantly  to  the  earth.  Marko  struck  her  several  times 
as  she  lay  on  the  earth,  exclaiming:  "O  Veela!  May 
God  requite  thee !  Why  didst  thou  pierce  my  dear  pobra- 
tim's  throat  and  heart  ?  Thou  hadst  better  give  him 
healing  herbs,  else  thou  shalt  not  carry  thy  head  much 
longer  upon  thy  shoulders  1 " 

The  veela  implored  Marko  to  forgive  her,  and  to  become 
her  brother-in-God.  "  For  God's  sake,  O  my  brother 
Marko,  and  by  the  memory  of  St.  John,"  she  cried, 
"  spare  my  life,  and  I  will  go  through  the  mountain  and 
gather  herbs  to  heal  thy  pobratim's  wounds  !  " 
Marko  was  very  easily  moved  by  the  mention  of  the 
divine's  name,  and  he  released  the  veela,  who  went  at 
once,  but  never  out  of  hearing  and  answering  to  Marko's 
frequent  calls. 

When  the  veela  had  collected  herbs  she  brought  them  to 
Milosh  and  healed  his  wounds;  his  voice  was  not  only 
quite  restored,  but  it  was  finer  than  before  and  his  heart 
was  sounder.  Then  the  brothers-in-God  rode  straight  to 
104 


Prince  Marko  ^f  the  Turkish  Huntsmen 

the  district  of  Poretch,  where  they  crossed  the  River 
Timok,  and  soon  arrived  at  the  town  of  Bregovo,  whence, 
after  tarrying  awhile,  they  departed  to  the  district  of  Vidin. 
When  the  veela  rejoined  her  sisters  she  admonished  them, 
saying :  "  Hark,  ye  veelas,  my  sisters !  Do  not  shoot 
any  heroes  in  the  mountains  with  your  bows  and  arrows, 
so  long  as  the  Royal  Prince  Marko  and  his  Sharatz  are 
alive.  Oh,  what  I,  much  to  be  pitied,  have  suffered  at 
his  hands  to-day !  I  marvel,  indeed,  that  I  still  live !  " 

PRINCE  MARKO  AND  THE  kS~/Jr 

TURKISH  HUNTSMEN 

Amouradh,  the  grand  Vizir  once  arranged  a  hunting 
party  of  twelve  Turkish  warriors  to  which  he  also  invited 
Prince  Marko.  They  hunted  for  three  days  and  found 
nothing  in  the  mountain-forest.  But,  behold !  they 
suddenly  discovered  a  green-bosomed  lake  upon  which  a 
team  of  wild  ducks  was  swimming !  The  Vizir  let  loose 
his  falcon  and  bade  him  pounce  upon  a  gold- winged  duck, 
but  the  duck  did  not  even  allow  the  falcon  to  see  it,  so  . 
swiftly  it  flew  toward  the  clouds  ;  as  for  the  falcon  it  fell 
on  the  branches  of  a  fir-tree. 

Then  Prince  Marko  spoke  thus  to  the  Vizir :  "  Am  I  per- 
mitted, O  Vizir  Amouradh,  to  release  my  falcon  and  try 
to  secure  the  gold-winged  duck  ? "  "Surely  you  may, 
Prince  Marko,"  answered  the  Vizir.  Then  the  princely 
Marko  let  loose  his  falcon,  and  the  bird  ascended  to  the 
clouds,  sprang  upon  the  gold-winged  prey,  and  bore  it 
down  to  the  foot  of  the  green  fir-tree. 
When  Amouradh's  falcon  saw  this  it  became  greatly  ex- 
cited and,  according  to  its  natural  habit  of  seizing  others' 
spoil,  it  turned  violently  upon  its  rival  and  tried  to  pluck 
the  duck  from  its  claws. 

105 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

But  Marko's  falcon  was  exceedingly  valiant,  worthy  of  its 
master,  and  would  yield  its  well-earned  trophy  to  none  but 
its  master.  So  it  turned  sharply  on  Amouradh's  falcon 
and  vehemently  tore  at  its  proud  feathers. 
When  the  Vizir  saw  this,  he  too  became  excited  and  in 
great  rage  rushed  to  the  combatants  and  flung  Prince 
Marko's  falcon  fiercely  against  a  fir-tree  so  that  its  right 
wing  was  broken.  He  then  took  horse  with  his  followers 
and  fled  from  the  scene  of  his  violence. 
The  noble  falcon,  as  it  lay  upon  the  ground,  wailed  in  its 
pain  and  Prince  Marko  ran  quickly  and  caught  it  to  his 
breast,  for  he  loved  it  very  dearly.  Then  very  tenderly 
he  bound  its  wounded  pinion  and  addressed  the  bird  with 
emotion :  "  Woe  to  me  and  to  thee,  my  falcon,  that  ever 
we  went  hunting  with  the  Turk  without  our  dear  Serbians, 
for  the  Turk  must  ever  violate  the  rights  of  others  !  " 
After  having  bound  his  falcon's  wing,  Marko  sprang  upon 
Sharatz  and  sped  through  the  forest  swift  as  a  veela. 
Soon  he  left  the  mountain  behind  and  he  observed  the 
fleeing  Turks  in  front  of  him.  The  Vizir  turned  in  his 
saddle  and  saw  Marko  in  the  distance,  wherefore  he 
spoke  thus  to  his  twelve  valiant  companions  :  "  Ye,  my 
children,  ye  twelve  valiant  heroes  !  See  ye  yonder  moun- 
tain-mist approaching,  and  in  it  the  Royal  Prince  Marko  ? 
Hark !  how  fiercely  he  enrages  his  Sharatz !  God  alone 
knows,  what  will  befall  us  I  " 

The  Vengeance  of  Marko 

He  had  barely  uttered  these  words  when  Prince  Marko 
came  up  flourishing  his  bright  sabre.  Instantly  the  twelve 
Turks  dispersed  like  a  flock  of  sparrows  startled  by  a 
vulture.  Marko  made  for  the  Vizir  and  with  one  thrust 
of  his  sabre  cleft  his  head  asunder.  Next  he  pursued 
1 06 


The  Vengeance  of  Marko 

the  twelve  Turkish  warriors,  each  of  whom  he  cut  in  two, 
striking  them  through  their  Turkish  sashes.  Then  he 
stood  for  a  while  in  doubt :  "  Oh,  what  am  I  to  do  now  ? 
Ought  I  to  go  to  the  Sultan  at  Yedrenet  or  had  I  perhaps 
better  return  to  my  white  castle  at  Prilip  ?  "  After  long 
thought  he  decided  that  it  would  be  far  better  to  go  to 
the  Sultan  and  give  an  account  of  what  had  happened 
than  to  give  an  opportunity  to  his  foes  to  calumniate  him 
to  the  Padishah. 

When  Prince  Marko  arrived  at  Yedrenet  he  was  at  once 
received  in  divan  by  the  Sultan. 

A  poet  describes  Marko's  eyes  as  being  as  bright  and 
fierce  as  those  of  a  hungry  wolf ;  and  the  Sultan  was 
terrified  by  the  lightning  flashing  from  his  eyes.  He 
deemed  it  well  to  temporize  and  so  spoke  gently  to  the 
hero :  "  O  my  dear  son  Marko,  why  art  thou  so  enraged 
to-day  ?  Art  thou,  perchance,  short  of  gold  ?  " 
Prince  Marko  narrated  to  the  Sultan  what  had  happened 
to  his  Vizir  Amouradh,  not  omitting  to  mention  one  single 
incident.  When  he  had  heard  the  tale,  the  Sultan,  con- 
vulsed with  laughter,  comforted  Prince  Marko:  "May 
Blessings  fall  upon  thee,  my  dearest  son  Marko ! "  said 
he.  "  If  thou  hadst  not  behaved  thus,  I  would  no  longer 
call  thee  a  son  of  mine ;  any  Turk  may  become  Vizir,  but 
there  is  no  hero  to  equal  Marko  !  "  With  these  words 
the  Sultan  plunged  his  hand  in  his  silk-lined  pocket,  drew 
out  a  purse  containing  one  thousand  ducats  and  proffered 
it  to  Prince  Marko,  exclaiming :  "  Accept  this  as  a  gift 
from  me,  O  my  dearest  son  Marko,  take  some  wine  and 
go  in  peace !  "  Marko,  nothing  loth,  accepted  the  purse 
and  left  the  divan. 

The  Sultan,  however,  was  not  moved  to  this  seeming 
generosity  by  friendliness  to  Marko ;  on  the  contrary  he 

107 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

feared  him  exceedingly  and  was  anxious  only  for  his 
speedy  departure. 

PRINCE  MARKO  AND  MOUSSA 
KESSEDJIYA  * 

"  Moussa  Arbanass  2  was  one  day  drinking  wine  in  a 
white  tavern  in  Istamboul.  Presently,  when  he  had 
drunk  a  good  deal  he  began  to  talk  thus :  *  It  is  just 
about  nine  years  since  I  entered  the  service  of  the  Sultan 
at  Istamboul,  yet  he  has  never  given  me  a  horse,  or  arms, 
or  even  a  velvet  cloak  !  By  my  faith,  I  shall  rebel !  I 
shall  go  down  to  the  coast,  seize  the  harbours  and  all  the 
roads  leading  to  them  :  and  then  build  myself  a  koula, 
around  which  I  shall  erect  gibbets  with  iron  hooks  and 
hang  his  hodjas  (priests)  and  hadjis  (pilgrims)  upon 
them.'" 

The  threats  the  Albanian  made  in  his  drunkenness  he 
actually  carried  out  when  he  became  possessed  of  his 
senses.  He  turned  rebel,  seized  the  sea-ports  and  the 
main  roads,  captured  and  robbed  the  rich  merchants,  and 
hanged  the  Sultan's  hodjas  and  hadjis.  When  the  Sultan 
heard  of  all  these  misdeeds,  he  sent  the  Grand  Vizir 
Tyouprilitch  with  three  thousand  men  to  undertake  a 
campaign  against  Moussa.  But,  alas !  no  sooner  had  the 
Turkish  army  reached  the  sea-coast  than  Moussa  dis- 
persed it  and  took  the  Grand  Vizir  prisoner.  Next  he 

1  Kessedjiya  means  'fighter'  or  'bully,'  and  is  the  nickname  of  an 
Albanian  chevalier-brigand  Moussa,  who  defied  for  years  the  distant 
power  of  the  Sultan.    The  incident  described  in  the  poem  here  referred  to 
recounts — according  to  some  Serbian  historians — an  event  which  actually 
took  place  in  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century.    There  is  hardly 
any  inn  or  tavern  in  the  villages  of  the  Southern  Slavs  on  the  front  wall 
of  which  one  cannot  see  a  rough  fresco  illustrating  the  duel  between 
Marko  and  Moussa. 

2  Arbanass  is  another  appellation  for  Albanian. 

108 


Marko  is  Sent  for 

bound  the  Vizir  hand  and  foot  and  sent  him  back  thus 
ignominiously  to  his  master  at  Istamboul. 
Now  the  Sultan,  in  despair,  published  a  proclamation  all 
over  his  vast  empire,  promising  untold  riches  to  any 
knight  who  would  vanquish  the  rebel.  And  many  a 
brave  knight  went  to  fight  the  rebel,  but,  alas !  not  one 
ever  returned  to  Istamboul  to  claim  the  promised  gold  ! 
This  humiliation  threw  the  Sultan  into  unspeakable 
distress  and  anxiety. 

At  length  the  Grand  Vizir  Tyouprilitch  came  to  him  and 
said  :  "  Sire,  thou  Glorious  Sultan  1  If  only  we  had  now 
with  us  the  Royal  Prince  Marko!  He  would  surely 
overcome  Moussa  the  Bully  1 " 

The  Sultan  cast  at  his  Vizir  a  reproachful  glance,  and, 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  said  :  "  Oh,  torture  not  my  soul, 
by  speaking  of  the  princely  knight  Marko!  His  very 
bones  must  have  rotted  long  before  this  day,  for  at  least 
three  years  have  flown  since  I  threw  him  into  my  darkest 
dungeon,  the  door  of  which  has  remained  fast  bolted." 
Thereupon  the  Vizir  asked :  "  Gracious  master,  what 
wouldst  thou  give  to  the  man  who  could  bring  Marko 
into  thy  presence  alive?"  And  the  mighty  Sultan 
answered :  "  I  would  give  him  the  vizirate  of  Bosnia, 
with  power  there  to  remain  for  nine  years  without  recall, 
and  I  would  not  demand  from  him  even  a  dinar  of  the 
revenues  and  taxes  which  he  might  collect." 

Marko  is  Sent  for 

Hearing  this,  the  cunning  Vizir  hastened  to  the  prison, 
opened  the  door  of  the  dungeon,  brought  out  the  Royal 
Prince  Marko  and  led  him  before  the  Sultan.  Marko's 
hair  had  grown  to  the  ground,  one-half  of  it  he  had  used 
to  sleep  upon,  and  with  the  other  part  he  covered  himself 

109 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

at  night ;  his  nails  were  so  long  that  he  could  plough  with 
them ;  the  dampness  and  dirt  in  the  dungeon  had  changed 
him  so  that  he  was  as  black  as  a  black  stone. 
When  the  Sultan  saw  him,  he  exclaimed  :    "  Dost  thou 
still  live,  Marko?"     "Yea,  I  am  still  alive,  but  hardly 
can  I  move  my  limbs,"  the  hero  answered. 
And  the  Sultan  went  on  to  tell  Marko  about   the  evil 
doings  of  Moussa,  and  asked  him  :  "  Couldst  thou  under- 
take, O  Marko,  to  go  to  the  sea-coast  and  kill  Moussa  • 
Kessedjiya?     If  thou  wouldst  do  this,  I  would   gladly 
give  thee  as  much  gold  as  thou  canst  desire." 
Thereupon  Prince  Marko  answered  :  "  Alas,  O  Sire !   The 
dampness  of  the  stone  dungeon  has  ruined  my  bones  and 
much  hurt  my  eyes.     How  could  I  venture  to  fight  a  duel 
with  Moussa?     But,  if  thou  wishest  me  to  try  that  feat, 
place  me  in  a  good  inn  somewhere,  supply  me  with  plenty 
of  wine  and  brandy,  fat  mutton  and  good  white  bread, 
that  I  may  perhaps  regain  my  strength.     I  shall  then  tell 
thee  as  soon  as  I  feel  myself  able  to  fight  a  duel." 
Hearing  this,  the  Sultan  summoned  attendants  to  wash 
Marko,  to  cut  his  hair,  to  shave  him  and  to  trim  his  nails. 
Then  he  had  him  conducted  with  honour  to  the  New  Inn, 
where   there   was   abundance   of    everything    to    satisfy 
his  needs. 

Marko  remained  in  the  inn  for  three  months,  zealously 
eating  and  drinking,  and  he  had  thus  considerably  re- 
stored his  strength,  when  the  Sultan  asked  him :  "  Dost 
thou  yet  feel  thyself  able  to  go  and  overcome  Moussa,  for 
my  poor  subjects  are  incessantly  sending  me  complaints 
against  that  accursed  brigand  ?  "  And  Marko  answered 
the  Sultan  thus :  "  Let  a  piece  of  perfectly  dry  wood  of  a 
medlar-tree,  which  has  been  cut  off  nine  years  be  brought 
to  me,  that  I  may  test  my  strength ! "  When  the  piece  of 
no 


Marko  orders  a  Sword 

wood  was  brought,  Marko  took  it  in  his  right  hand  and 
squeezed  it  so  hard  that  it  broke  in  three.  "  By  my  faith, 
Sire,  it  is  not  yet  time  for  me  to  venture  a  duel  with  such 
a  dangerous  adversary  as  Moussa ! " 
So  Marko  remained  in  the  New  Inn  for  another  month, 
eating,  drinking,  and  resting,  till  he  felt  a  little  stronger. 
Then  he  asked  again  for  a  dry  stick  from  a  medlar-tree. 
When  the  wood  was  brought  to  him,  he  squeezed  it  with 
kis  rigkt  kaad  till  it  broke  in  pieces,  and  this  time  two 
drops  *f  water  came  from  it.  Then  Marko  said  to  the 
Sultan  :  "  Sire,  now  I  am  ready  to  fight  the  duel." 

Marko  orders  a  Sword 

From  the  palace  Marko  went  straight  to  Novak,  the 
famous  maker  of  swords.  "  Make  me  a  finer  sword  than 
any  thou  hast  ever  made  before,  O  Novak  1 "  said  Marko, 
and  he  gave  the  smith  thirty  ducats  and  went  back  to  the 
inn.  There  he  stayed  to  drink  red  wine  for  the  next  few 
days,  and  then  went  again  to  the  smith's.  "  Hast  thou 
finished  my  sword,  O  Novak?"  And  the  swordsmith 
brought  forth  the  blade  and  gave  it  to  Marko,  who  asked : 
"Is  it  good?"  "There  is  the  sword  and  here  is  the 
anvil ;  thou  canst  try  on  it  the  quality  of  thy  sword ! " 
answered  Novak  timidly.  Thereupon  Marko  lifted  his 
sword  and  struck  the  anvil  with  it  so  hard  that  he  cut 
right  through  it.  "  O  Novak,  the  swordsmith,  tell  me 
now,  truthfully — and  may  God  help  thee — hast  thou  ever 
made  a  better  sword  ?  "  And  Novak  answered :  "  Since 
thou  didst  call  upon  the  name  of  the  true  God,  I  must  tell 
thee  truthfully  that  I  did  once  make  a  better  sword ;  yea, 
and  it  was  for  a  better  warrior.  When  Moussa  turned 
rebel  and  went  to  the  sea-coast,  he  ordered  me  to  make 
him  a  sword,  with  which  he  cut  right  through  the  anvil 

in 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

as  thou  hast  done,  and  through  the  trunk  of  an  oak-tree 
upon  which  it  was  standing,  as  well." 
This  enraged  Marko.  "  Hold  out  thy  hand,  Novak,  that 
I  may  pay  thee  for  my  sword  ! "  No  sooner  had  the  man 
stretched  forth  his  right  arm,  than  Marko  by  a  swift  stroke 
cut  it  off  from  the  shoulder.  "  Now,  O  Novak,  from  this 
day  thou  shalt  not  make  either  a  better  or  a  worse  sword 
than  mine  1  And  take  these  hundred  ducats  as  thy 
reward ! " 

Marko  meets  Moussa 

Then  Marko  mounted  his  Sharatz  and  rode  off  to  the  sea, 
seeking  and  inquiring  all  the  way  for  Moussa.  One 
morning  early  he  rode  up  the  defile  Katchanik,  when 
suddenly  he  saw  Moussa  Kessedjiya,  calmly  seated  on  his 
black  steed  with  his  legs  crossed,  throwing  his  mace  to 
the  clouds  and  catching  it  again  in  his  right  hand.  When 
the  two  knights  met,  Marko  said  to  Moussa :  "  Knightly 
Moussa,  move  aside  and  leave  the  path  free  for  my 
Sharatz  to  pass  !  Move  aside  or  bow  before  me !  " 
To  this  Moussa  answered  :  "  Pass  on  quietly,  Marko,  do 
not  start  a  quarrel.  Better  still,  let  us  dismount  and  take 
refreshment  together.  I  shall  never  move  aside  to  make 
way  for  thee.  I  know  well  that  thou  wert  born  of  a  queen 
in  a  palace,  and  wert  laid  upon  silken  cushions.  Doubt- 
less thy  mother  wrapped  thee  in  pure  silk,  and  fastened 
the  silk  with  golden  thread,  and  gave  thee  honey  and 
sugar ;  my  mother  was  a  poor,  wild  Albanian,  and  I  was 
born  on  the  cold  rocks  near  the  sheep  she  was  tending, 
and  she  wrapped  me  in  a  rough,  black  cloth,  tying  it  on  to 
me  with  bramble  twigs  ;  she  fed  me  on  oatmeal — but 
above  all  things  she  always  made  me  swear  that  I  should 
never  move  aside  for  anybody." 
112 


There  is  the  suwrd  atid  here  if  the  anvil ' 


Marko  meets  Moussa 

Hearing  this,  Marko  of  Prilip  aimed  his  lance  at  Moussa's 
breast,  but  the  fierce  Albanian  received  it  on  his  warrior- 
mace,  and  it  glanced  off,  whizzing  high  above  his  head. 
Then  Moussa  threw  his  own  lance,  aiming  at  Marko's 
breast,  but  the  princely  hero  received  it  on  his  club  and  it 
broke  in  three.  They  next  unsheathed  their  swords  and 
attacked  each  other  at  close  quarters.  Marko  gave  a 
great  stroke,  but  Moussa  interposed  his  mace  and  the 
sword  was  shattered.  Instantly  Moussa  raised  his  own 
sword  to  strike  his  adversary,  but  Marko,  in  the  like 
manner,  received  it  upon  his  club  and  the  weapon  snapped 
in  two  near  its  hilt.  Then  they  began  labouring  each 
other  with  their  maces  until  these  broke  too.  They  next 
dismounted  and  seized  each  other  fiercely.  The  famous 
heroes  were  equally  matched  for  once,  the  knightly 
Moussa  against  the  princely  Marko.  Moussa  could 
neither  throw  Marko  down,  nor  could  Marko  overcome 
Moussa.  For  a  whole  summer's  morning  did  they 
wrestle  together.  At  about  noon,  white  foam  rose  on 
Moussa's  lips,  and  Marko's  lips  were  covered  with  blood 
and  foam.  Then  Moussa  exclaimed :  "  Do  throw  me 
down,  O  Marko !  or,  if  you  cannot  do  it,  let  me  throw  you 
down  ! "  Marko  did  all  he  could,  but  his  attempts  were 
vain.  Seeing  this,  Moussa  exerted  his  last  remnants  of 
strength  and,  lifting  Marko  from  the  ground,  he  threw  him 
on  to  the  grass  and  pressed  his  knees  on  his  breast. 
Marko,  in  great  danger,  exclaimed :  "  Where  art  thou 
now,  my  sister-in-God,  thou  Veela  ?  Where  art  thou 
to-day,  mayst  thou  live  no  longer !  Now  I  see  thine  oath 
was  false  when  thou  didst  sware  to  me  that  whenever  I 
should  be  in  distress,  thou  wouldst  help  me !  " 
The  veela  appeared  from  behind  the  clouds,  saying:  "O 
my  brother,  Royal  Prince  Marko !  Hast  thou  forgotten  my 

H  113 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

words :  That  thou  shouldst  never  fight  on  Sunday  ?  I 
cannot  help  thee,  for  it  would  not  be  fair  that  two  should 
fight  against  one.  Where  are  thy  secret  poniards  ?  " 
Moussa  cast  a  glance  to  the  clouds  to  see  where  the  voice 
came  from,  and  this  was  his  undoing,  for  Marko  seized  the 
moment,  drew  out  a  secret  blade,  and  with  a  sudden  fierce 
stroke  cut  Moussa  so  that  his  body  was  opened  from  his 
waist  to  his  neck. 

Marko  disengaged  himself  with  difficulty  from  the  em- 
braces of  the  horrible  Moussa,  and  as  the  body  lay  upon 
its  back  the  Prince  discovered  through  the  gaping  wound 
that  his  adversary  had  three  rows  of  ribs  and  three  hearts. 
One  of  the  hearts  had  collapsed ;  another  was  still  beating 
excitedly;  on  the  third  a  serpent  was  just  awaking, 
and  as  it  saw  Marko  it  hissed:  "Praise  God,  O  Royal 
Prince  Marko,  that  I  still  slept  while  Moussa  was  alive — 
for  a  three  hundred  fold  misfortune  would  surely  otherwise 
have  befallen  thee  !  " 

When  Marko  heard  this,  tears  poured  down  his  cheeks 
and  he  lamented  :  "  Alas  !  Gracious  God  forgive  me,  I 
have  killed  a  better  knight  than  I  am !  " 
Then  he  struck  off  Moussa's  head  with  his  sword,  put 
it  into  Sharatz's  nose-bag  and  returned  triumphantly  to 
Istamboul.  When  he  flung  the  head  of  Moussa  before 
the  Sultan  the  monarch  was  so  horrified  that  he  sprang  to 
his  feet.  "  Do  not  fear  the  dead,  O  gracious  Sultan !  If 
thou  art  frightened  by  the  sight  of  Moussa's  head,  what 
wouldst  thou  have  done  if  thou  hadst  met  him  alive  ?  " 
The  Sultan  gave  three  tovars  of  gold  to  Marko,  who 
returned  to  his  castle  at  Prilip. 

As  for  Moussa   the    Bully,  he  remained  on  the   top  of 
Katchanik  Mountain. 


114 


The  Death  of  Prince  Marko 

THE  DEA  TH  OF  PRINCE  MARKO 
In  the  early  dawn  of  a  Sabbath  morning  Prince  Marko 
paced  the  sea-shore.  Soon  he  came  to  a  bridle  path  that 
led  up  the  slopes  of  the  Ourvinian  mountain,  and  as  he  got 
near  to  the  mountain  top,  his  faithful  Sharatz  suddenly 
stumbled  and  began  to  shed  tears.  His  moans  fell  sadly 
upon  Marko's  heart  and  he  addressed  his  favourite  thus : 
"  Alas  !  dear  Sharo,  my  most  precious  treasure !  Lo  !  we 
have  dwelt  happily  together  these  many  summers  as 
beloved  companions ;  till  now  thou  hast  never  stumbled, 
and  to-day  for  the  first  time  thine  eyes  do  weep :  God 
alone  knows  what  fate  awaits  us,  but  I  can  see  that  my 
life  or  thine  is  in  great  peril  and  that  one  of  us  is  surely 
doomed  to  die." 

When  Marko  had  spoken  to  his  Sharatz  thus,  the  veela 
from  the  Ourvinian  mountain  called  to  him :  "  My  dear 
brother-in-God !  O  Royal  Prince  Marko  !  Knowest  thou 
not,  brother,  why  thy  horse  is  stumbling?  Thy  Sharatz 
is  grieving  for  thee,  his  master.  Know  that  ere  long  ye 
must  be  divided !  " 

Marko  answered :  "  O  thou  white  veela !  May  thy  throat 
cause  thee  pain  for  speaking  thus:  How  in  this  world 
could  I  ever  part  from  Sharatz,  who  through  many  a  land 
and  many  a  city  hath  borne  me  from  dawn  till  sunset ; 
better  steed  never  trod  our  earth  than  Sharatz,  and 
Marko  never  better  hero.  While  my  head  is  on  my 
shoulders,  never  will  I  be  severed  from  my  beloved 
steed!" 

And  the  veela  called  again  :  "  O  my  brother,  Royal  Prince 
Marko,  there  is  no  force  which  can  tear  thy  Sharatz  from 
thee;  thou  canst  not  die  from  any  hero's  shining  sabre, 
or  battle-club,  or  lance  of  warrior ;  thou  fearest  no  hero 

"5 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

on  earth — but,  alas !  thou  must  die,  O  Marko  !  Death, 
the  ancient  slayer,  will  smite  thee.  If  thou  wilt  not  believe 
me,  hasten  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  look  to  the 
right  and  to  the  left,  and  thou  wilt  presently  see  two  tall 
fir-trees  covered  with  fresh  green  leaves  and  towering 
high  above  the  other  trees  of  the  forest.  Between  those 
fir-trees  there  is  a  spring;  there  alight,  and  bind  thy 
Sharatz  to  one  of  the  fir-trees ;  then  bend  thee  down  and 
the  water  will  mirror  thy  face.  Look  and  thou  shalt  see 
when  death  awaits  thee  !  " 

Marko  learns  his  Fate 

Marko  followed  the  veela's  instruction,  and  when  he 
arrived  upon  the  mountain  top,  he  looked  to  the  right 
and  to  the  left,  and  truly,  he  saw  the  two  tall  straight 
fir-trees  just  as  she  described  them,  and  he  did  everything 
she  had  counselled  him  to  do.  When  he  looked  into  the 
spring  he  saw  his  face  reflected  in  the  water,  and  lo !  his 
fate  was  written  on  its  surface  1  .  .  . 
Then  he  shed  many  bitter  tears,  and  spoke  in  this  wise : 
"  O  thou  treacherous  world,  once  my  fairy  flower  !  Thou 
wert  lovely — but  I  sojourned  for  too  short  a  time  with 
thee  :  yea  for  about  three  hundred  years  !  The  hour  has 
come  for  me  to  depart !  "  Then  he  drew  his  sabre  and 
hastened  to  Sharatz;  with  one  stroke  he  smote  off  his 
head.  Never  should  he  be  mounted  by  the  Turk  ;  never 
should  a  Turkish  burden  be  placed  upon  his  proud 
shoulders ;  never  should  he  carry  the  dyugoom *  from  the 
well  for  the  hated  Moslem  ! 

Marko  now  dug  a  grave  for  his  faithful  Sharatz  and  in- 
terred him  with  more  honour  than  he  had  buried  Andreas, 
his  own  brother.     Then  he  broke  his  sabre  in  four  that  it 
1  Dyugoom,  a  water  vessel  made  of  copper  and  enamelled  inside. 
116 


He  lamented  loudly  the  fate  of  Marko 


116 


The  Finding  of  Marko 

might  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  Moslem,  and  that  the 
Turk  might  not  brandish  it  with  something  of  his  own 
power,  lest  the  curse  of  Christendom  should  fall  upon 
him.  Marko  next  broke  his  lance  in  seven  pieces  throw- 
ing the  fragments  into  the  branches  of  the  fir-tree.  Then 
he  took  his  terrible  club  in  his  right  hand,  and  swiftly 
flung  it  from  the  Ourvinian  mountain  far  into  the  dark 
sapphire  sea,  with  the  words :  "  When  my  club  returns 
from  the  depths  of  the  ocean,  then  shall  come  a  hero  as 
great  as  Marko !  "  When  he  had  scattered  thus  all  his 
weapons,  he  drew  from  his  belt  a  golden  tablet  upon 
which  he  inscribed  this  message:  "To  him  who  passes 
over  this  mountain,  and  to  him  who  seeks  the  spring  by 
the  fir-trees  and  finds  Marko's  body :  know  that  Marko 
is  dead.  There  are  here  three  purses  filled  with  golden 
ducats.  One  shall  be  Marko's  gift  to  him  who  digs  his 
grave :  the  second  shall  be  used  to  adorn  churches ;  the 
gold  in  the  third  shall  be  distributed  among  the  blind 
and  maimed,  that  they  may  wander  in  peace  through  the 
land  and  with  hymns  laud  Marko's  deeds  and  feats  of 
glory!" 

When  Marko  had  thus  written  he  bound  the  tablet  to  a 
branch  that  it  might  be  seen  by  the  passers-by.  He  spread 
his  cloak  on  the  grass  beneath  the  fir-trees,  made  the  sign 
of  the  holy  cross,  drew  over  his  eyes  his  fur  cap  and  laid 
himself  down.  .  .  . 

The  Finding  of  Marko 

The  body  of  Marko  lay  beside  the  spring  day  after  day 
till  a  whole  week  had  passed.  Meanwhile  many  a  traveller 
passed  over  the  broad  path  and  saw  the  knightly  Marko, 
but  one  and  all  believed  him  to  be  slumbering  and  kept  a 
safe  distance,  fearing  to  disturb  or  awake  the  sleeping  hero. 

117 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Fortune  is  the  leader  of  misfortune,  as  misfortune  often 
leads  to  fortune :  and  it  befell  that  Vasso  the  igouman 
(abbot)  of  Mount  Athos,  rode  that  way  from  the  white 
church  Vilindar  attended  by  the  youthful  Issaya  his  deacon. 
When  the  igouman  noticed  Marko,  he  beckoned  to  Issaya. 
"  O  my  son,"  he  said,  "  be  cautious,  lest  thou  wake  the 
hero,  for  Marko  is  furious  when  disturbed  and  may 
destroy  us  both."  Then  he  looked  anxiously  round  and 
saw  the  inscription  which  Marko  had  fixed  above  his 
head.  He  drew  near  cautiously  and  read  the  message. 
Then  he  dismounted  hastily  from  his  horse  and  seized 
Marko's  hand — but  the  hero  moved  not !  Tears  rushed 
from  the  eyes  of  Vasso,  and  he  lamented  loudly  the  fate 
of  Marko.  After  a  time  he  took  the  three  purses  from 
the  hero's  girdle  and  hid  them  beneath  his  belt.  Long 
he  pondered  as  to  where  he  should  entomb  Marko;  at 
length  he  placed  the  hero's  body  on  his  horse  and  brought 
it  to  the  shore.  In  due  course  he  arrived  safely  with  it 
at  the  white  church  Vilindar,  and  having  sung  the 
customary  hymns  and  performed  those  rites  which  are 
fitting  he  interred  Marko's  body  beneath  the  centre  of  the 
church. 

There  the  aged  igouman  buried  Marko  but  he  raised  no 
monument  over  the  tomb,  lest  foes  should  learn  the  where- 
abouts of  the  hero's  grave  and  take  vengeance  on  the 
dead. 


118 


CHAPTER  V  :  BANOVITCH 
STRAHINYA 

Historical  Data 

THE  ballad  relating  to  Banovitch  Strahinya  is  one 
of  the  finest  and  most  famous  which  the  anonymous 
Serbian  bards  composed  during  the  Middle  Ages. 
The  author  was  probably  a  dependent  of  the  descendants  of 
Banovitch,  and  utilized  a  few  historical  and  biographical 
data,  which  he  must  have  found  among  the  manuscripts 
and  other  records  belonging  to  his  lord  or  in  the  other 
castles  he  visited  from  time  to  time. 

Prince  Ourosh  (of  the  Nemanya  dynasty)  married  Helen, 
a  French  princess  of  the  house  de  Courtenay,  and 
through  her  he  kept  up  friendly  relations  with  the  French 
Court  of  Charles  of  Anjou  in  Naples,  and  he  endeavoured 
to  negotiate  an  alliance  between  Serbs  and  French  for  the 
otherthrow  and  partition  of  the  Byzantine  Empire. 
Some  Serbian  historians  believe  that  Banovitch  Strahinya 
was  really  the  glorious  Strashimir  Balshitch-Nemanyitch 
(who  reigned  conjointly  with  his  two  brothers  from  1360- 
1370  in  Skadar,  the  capital  of  Northern  Albania)  and  a 
descendant  of  the  old  Proven^arfamily  of  des  Baux. 
In  early  local  records  the  name  Baux  is  latinized  Balcius, 
and  members  of  the  family  who  attended  the  Court  at 
Naples  changed  the  name,  in  Italian  fashion,  into  Balza. 
And  it  is  supposed  that  these  Italianized  Seigneurs  des 
Baux,  who  were  permitted  to  marry  into  the  Royal  House 
of  Nemanyitch,  and  who  settled  in  Serbian  lands,  then 
further  changed  their  patronymic  to  Balsha  or  Balshitch — 
itch>  or  ich^  or  ic  being  the  characteristic  termination  of 
most  Serbian  family  names. 

It  may  here  be  stated  that  Skadar  was  at  that  time  still 

119 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

the  capital  of  Zeta  (the  Montenegro  of  modern  times). 
The  valiant  Nicholas  I  Petrovitch,  the  present  King  of 
Montenegro,  and  an  indirect  descendant  out  of  Bal- 
shitch,  was  obliged  by  the  Great  Powers  to  evacuate 
the  town  after  he  had  obtained  possession  of  it  by  the 
heroism  of  his  troops,  and  Serbian  bards  throughout  the 
kingdom  are  now  improvising  ballads,  in  which  they  may 
transmit  to  future  generations  the  story  of  the  sad  events 
of  the  present  time,  just  as  their  ancestors  recorded  the 
exploits  of  Strahinya.  BuFTer^its^^turn  to  the  story  of 
Banovitch  as  it  was  given  in  the  old  balla< 

The  Falcon  Banovitch 

In  the  opening  verses  the  bard  describes  the  hero  and 
eulogizes  him  as  "  a  falcon  without  equal."  He  tells  of 
the  orders  given  by  Banovitch  to  his  servants  and  pages 
relative  to  the  preparations  to  be  made  for  himself,  Dyojyp 
his  faithful  steed,  and  the  greyhound  Caraman.  his  in- 
separable companion.  He  is  not  going  to  the  hunt, 
however;  he  intends  to  visit  the  aged  ^oug^jiogdan,  and 
is  clad  in  pure  silk  and  velvet  embroiderecl  with  fine  gold. 
Bogdan,  his  beloved  father-in-law,  resides  at  his  sumptuous 
castle  in  Kroushevatz.  The  old  man  rejoiced  to  see  him, 
and  his  nine  sons  and  their  wives,  as  well  as  Bogdan's 
sons-in-law,  of  whom  one  was  a  direct  descendant  of  King 
Nemanya,  greeted  him  warmly. 

As  they  were  feasting,  a  letter  was  brought  from  Bano- 
vitch's  mother,  telling  him  that  innumerable  hordes  of 
Turks  had  encamped  on  the  field  of  Kossovo.  Strahinya 
seized  the  letter  and  read  in  horror  his  mother's  male- 
diction :  "  Woe  to  thee  and  thy  feasting  in  the  accursed 
castle  of  thy  wife's  father !  "  The  letter  went  on  to  say 
that  a  certain  chieftain  named  Vlah-Ali,  proud,  haughty, 
120 


Banovitch  seeks  the  Turk 

and  independent  not  only  of  Mehmed,  the  Grand  Vizir,  but 
of  Sultan  Amourath  himself,  had  attacked,  conquered, 
and  pillaged  his  castle,  captured  his  servants,  and  taken 
his  wife  away  to  his  tent  on  a  mountain  near  the  field  of 
Kossovo,  where  she  was  seemingly  quite  content  to  remain. 
Youg  Bogdan,  observing  Strahinya's  grief,  asked  him  in 
alarm  what  was  amiss,  if  he  lacked  anything  in  his  castle, 
or  if  any  one  of  his  family  had  offended  him.  Banovitch 
thanked  his  father-in-law,  and  assured  him  that  other 
misfortunes  were  troubling  him,  and  he  read  the  letter 
aloud.  Banovitch  then  begged  Youg  Bogdan  to  allow  his 
sons  to  accompany  him  to  the  field  of  Kossovo,  as  he  had 
resolved  to  rescue  his  wife  from  the  hands  of  the  foe. 
But  Youg  Bogdan,  thinking  that  it  would  be  foolish  for 
so  few  to  go  and  face  the  many  thousands  of  bloodthirsty 
Turks,  disapproved  altogether  of  this,  and  strongly  advised 
Banovitch  to  abandon  the  idea.  He  even  promised  to 
find  him  a  bride  fairer  and  more  worthy  of  him  than  his 
own  faithless  daughter.  But  Strahinya  remained  unshaken 
in  his  resolution,  and  convinced  of  his  father-in-law's  lack 
of  chivalry,  ran  hurriedly  to  the  stables,  refusing  in 
scorn  the  help  of  Bogdan's  servants,  saddled  Dyogo,  and 
indignant  and  sorrowful  mounted  forthwith.  As  he  was 
riding  out  of  the  courtyard  he  suddenly  remembered 
Caraman,  so  he  whistled,  and  instantly  Caraman  ran  to 
his  master  and  comforted  him. 

Banovitch  seeks  the  Turk 

So  over  fields  and  over  mountains,  straight  to  Kossovo, 
Banovitch  rode  forth  with  courage  and  gladness,  for  his 
dog  was  even  dearer  to  him  than  his  steed.  At  Kossovo 
he  saw  the  plain  crowded  with  tents  and  soldiers,  and  as 
he  looked  he  felt  something  like  dread  within  him ; 

121 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

nevertheless,  he  called  on  the  name  of  the  true  God  and 
taking  the  precaution  of  disguising  himself  as  a  Turk,  he 
rode  over  the  plain.  For  several  days  he  sought,  but 
alas!  in  vain,  the  tent  of  Vlah-Ali.  At  last  from  the 
banks  of  Sitnitza,  he  beheld  a  spacious  green  tent  upon  the 
pole  of  which  a  golden  apple  shone ;  before  the  entrance 
stood  an  Arab  steed  stamping  sharply  with  his  forefeet  upon 
the  ground.  Strahinya  thought  that  this  must  surely  be 
the  tent  of  Vlah-Ali,  and  he  fiercely  spurred  on  his  Dyogo. 
Reaching  the  tent  in  a  moment,  spear  in  hand,  he  boldly 
drew  aside  the  silken  curtain  which  veiled  the  entrance. 
To  his  disappointment  he  saw  that  the  only  occupant 
of  the  pavilion  was  an  old  dervish  with  a  white  beard 
reaching  to  his  knees.  The  old  man  was  drinking  wine, 
a  thing  forbidden  to  him  by  the  laws  of  his  order,  and  he 
returned  the  greeting  of  Strahinya,  who  spoke  good 
Turkish,  with  a  profound  salaam.  Then,  to  Strahinya's 
astonishment,  the  dervish  said :  "  Hail !  O  Banovitch 
Strahinya,  Lord  of  Little  Banyska  near  Kossovo ! " 
Banovitch  was  taken  aback,  but  he  tried  to  put  a  good 
face  upon  it  and  asked  in  apparent  surprise :  "  Who  is  the 
man  thou  hast  called  Banovitch  Strahinya  ?  "  The  half- 
drunken  dervish  laughed  aloud.  "Thou  canst  not 
deceive  me,"  said  he,  "  I  would  instantly  recognize  thee, 
yea,  even  wert  thou  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  Goletch." 
Then  he  told  Banovitch  how  that  he  had  been  a  captive 
in  his  castle  a  few  years  previously,  and  had  been  treated 
most  humanely,  even  receiving  a  daily  measure  of  wine. 
Finally  Banovitch  had  let  him  go  to  his  estates  to  collect 
his  ransom.  Upon  reaching  his  home  he  discovered  that 
his  estates  had  been  appropriated  by  the  Sultan,  and  his 
house  and  other  possessions  had  been  given  to  Pashas' 
daughters  as  dowries.  All  was  dreariness  and  desolation  ; 

122 


Banovitch  seeks  the  Turk 

he  had  lost  his  fortune — and,  he  added  bitterly,  con- 
sequently all  his  friends — so  he  was  reduced  to  ride  to 
Yedrenet l  to  offer  his  services  to  the  Sultan.  The  Vizir, 
he  continued,  told  the  Sultan  that  he  looked  as  if  he  might 
quite  likely  be  of  use  as  a  soldier,  whereupon  the  Sultan 
had  given  him  good  clothes  and  better  weapons  and  the 
Vizir  added  his  name  to  the  roll  of  warriors  sworn  to 
fight  for  the  Sultan.  "Now,"  he  concluded,  "I  do  not 
possess  so  much  as  even  a  dinar,  give  me,  I  pray  thee,  time 
for  my  fortunes  to  improve." 

Strahinya  was  deeply  touched  by  the  dervish's  misfortunes 
and,  alighting  from  his  steed,  he  embraced  him  and  spoke 
to  him  in  the  following  friendly  manner:  "Thou  art  my 
brother-in-God !  I  forgive  thee  gladly  thy  ransom,  neither 
shall  I  ever  ask  even  a  dinar  from  thee,  but  thou  canst 
repay  me !  I  am  now  seeking  the  haughty  Vlah-Ali,  who 
demolished  my  castle  and  robbed  me  of  my  wife.  Tell  me,  O 
aged  dervish  1  Where  shall  I  find  my  foe  ?  I  beseech  thee 
as  my  brother-in-God,  not  to  let  the  Turks  know  of  my 
presence  here,  and  not  to  suffer  them  to  take  me  by  guile." 
The  dervish  was  glad  to  become  brother-in-God  of  such 
a  valiant  hero  as  Strahinya,  and  he  pledged  his  unalter- 
able faith  that,  even  if  Strahinya  should  destroy  half  of 
the  Sultan's  army,  he  would  never  betray  him  ;  but  at  the 
same  time,  he  tried  to  persuade  Banovitch  to  give  up  all 
intention  of  attacking  such  an  unconquerable  and  terrible 
foe,  whose  mere  name  was  enough  to  strike  terror  into 
the  heart  of  the  best  and  bravest.  He  went  on  to 
describe  the  warlike  character  of  the  invincible  rebel 
of  the  Padishah,  and  finished  by  assuring  Banovitch  that 
neither  his  sharp  sword,  nor  his  poisoned  spear,  nor  his 
steed  would  avail  to  protect  him,  for  the  terrible  Vlah-Ali 
1  Adrianople. 

123 


Tales  $»?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

would  surely  seize  him  alive  in  his  iron  grasp,  break  his 

limbs  to  pieces  and  pluck  out  his  eyes. 

Strahinya   laughed  aloud   when  he   heard  all  this ;   "  O 

my    brother,"    said   he,    "  thou    aged    dervish !      Thou 

needest  not  warn  me  against  one  warrior,  only  do  not  bring 

upon  me  the  Sultan's  whole  army !     Since  thou  goest  to 

water  thy  horses  every  evening  and  every  morning  at  the 

River  Sitnitza,  thou  must  know  where  the  fords  are,  and 

thou  couldst  save  me  from  riding  my  steed  into  muddy 

depths ! " 

At  this  the  dervish  repeated  his  oath,  and  exclaimed  : 

Strahni-Bane,  ti  sokole  Srpski ! 
Tvome  Dyogu  i  tvome  junashtvu 
Svud  su  brodi,  dyegody  dodyesh  vodi ! 1 

Banovitch  crossed  the  river,  and  rode  without  haste  to 
mount  Goletch.  He  was  still  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
when  the  morning  sun  shone  out  upon  the  field  of  Kossovo, 
making  the  tents  and  the  soldiers'  armour  gleam. 

The  Faithless  Wife 

What  was  the  mighty  Vlah-Ali  doing  when  dawn  came  ? 
The  Turk's  custom  was  to  seek  slumber  only  at  sunrise. 
"  How  very  dear  to  him  was  his  new  slave,  Strahinya's 
wife,"  recites  the  bard,  "may  be  understood  when  I  tell 
that  he  had  closed  his  eyes  with  his  head  on  her  ivory 
shoulder."  The  faithless  woman  was  not  sleeping; 
through  the  door  of  the  tent  she  gazed  over  the  sleeping 
camp.  Suddenly  she  roused  her  new  lord  and  pointed  in 

1  The  lines  are  considered  to  be  the  finest  composed  by  any  Serbian 
bard,  and  may  be  freely  translated :  "  O  Lord  Strahinya,  thou  Serbian 
glorious  falcon !  Depending  ever  upon  thy  true  steed  Dyogo  and 
upon  thine  own  courage,  wherever  thou  goest,  there  thou  shalt  find  a 
way  free  of  all  danger." 
I24 


The  Combat 

terror  to  the  figure  of  an  advancing  horseman  in  whom 
she  had  recognized  her  true  husband. 
At  first  the  Turk  laughed  at  her  fears  and  said  that  it  was 
only  an  ambassador  from  the  Sultan.  "  Verily,"  said  he, 
composing  himself  again  to  rest,  "  Strahinya  will  not  dare 
to  come  near  the  tent !  " 

Presently  his  companion  again  roused  Vlah-Ali  and  told 
him  that  the  horseman  was  no  messenger  from  Amouradh, 
but  her  own  husband,  Banovitch  Strahinya  himself,  and 
she  warned  Vlah-Ali  that  he  was  in  peril  of  his  life. 
Upon  this,  the  mighty  Vlah-Ali  leapt  to  his  feet,  girded 
on  a  long  silken  sash,  fastened  in  it  a  sharp  gleaming 
yataghan,  quickly  belted  on  his  shining  sabre,  and  was 
soon  firmly  seated  in  his  saddle. 

The  Combat 

A  moment  later  Banovitch  came  up,  and  a  fearful  contest 
began  between  the  two  champions — heroes  of  almost  equal 
renown,  though  not  equal  in  strength.  Strahinya  ad- 
dressed his  opponent  with  reproachful  and  taunting  words, 
and  Vlah-Ali  replied  in  equally  offensive  terms.  But  they 
did  not  fight  only  with  words.  Banovitch  spurred  Dyogo 
and  furiously  cast  his  spear,  which  the  mighty  Turk, 
stretching  out  his  hands,  caught  and  broke  into  pieces. 
"O  Strahinya,"  he  shouted  derisively,  "thou  callest  me  a 
poltroon,  indeed  1  Dost  thou  know  to  whom  thou  didst 
speak  ?  Here  is  no  woman  of  thy  Serbian  land  whom  thy 
threats  might  alarm  ;  thou  hast  here  to  deal  with  the 
mighty  Vlah-Ali  who  fears  neither  the  Sultan  nor  his 
Grand  Vizir,  yea,  not  even  the  countless  horde  which  they 
command  !  One  and  all,  they  are  to  me  but  a  swarm  of 
ants !  "  Speaking  thus,  he  alertly  reined  in  his  sturdy 
horse  and  sent  his  spear  whistling  through  the  air.  So 

125 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

straight  it  went  to  Strahinya's  breast  that  he  surely  would 
have  been  stricken  had  the  just  God  not  helped  him. 
Dyogo,  accustomed  to  duels,  knelt  swiftly  in  the  nick  of 
time,  so  that  the  Turk's  weapon  flew  over  Banovitch's 
head  and  struck  against  a  rock  behind  him,  breaking  into 
three  pieces.  Their  spears  being  thus  destroyed,  the 
fierce  warriors  next  grasped  their  heavy  clubs,  and 
rushed  to  close  quarters.  Their  blows  fell  thick  and 
fast  until  Vlah-Ali  struck  Strahinya  so  violently  that  he 
was  stunned  and  fell  forward  upon  Dyogo's  neck.  Again 
the  true  God  stood  by  Strahinya ;  his  beloved  grey  steed, 
trained  for  such  a  struggle,  moved  his  head  and  his  neck 
so  cleverly  that  he  threw  his  master  back  into  the  saddle. 
Strahinya,  in  his  turn,  now  struck  his  adversary's  shoulder 
with  great  force,  but  the  mighty  Turk  sat  unshaken, 
although  by  this  time  his  horse's  legs  were  sunk  in  the 
black  earth  up  to  the  knees. 

And  so  the  battle  went  on  until  the  combatants  broke 
each  other's  clubs,  when  they  took  to  their  sharp  sabres, 
hoping  to  decide  the  combat  very  soon.  But  lo  1  Bano- 
vitch's sabre  was  not  a  common  one;  two  strong  smiths 
had  spent  a  week  in  shaping  it  and  in  smelting  the  finest 
of  fine  steel  for  its  blade.  The  Turk  made  a  swift  slash 
at  his  foe,  but  Strahinya  caught  the  gleaming  §teel  on  his 
own  blade,  and  the  sabre  was  instantly  severed  above  the 
hilt.  This  pleased  Banovitch  greatly,  and,  fiercely  pressing 
the  Turk,  he  now  tried  to  hack  off  his  adversary's  arms. 
But  the  heroes  were  well  matched ;  Vlah-Ali  guarded  his 
head  most  deftly  with  the  remaining  stump  of  his  sabre, 
and,  bit  by  bit,  he  broke  away  his  adversary's  weapon, 
until  once  more  the  two  were  on  equal  terms.  They  now 
dismounted,  and  grasping  each  other  firmly,  they  heaved 
and  wrestled  with  all  their  strength. 
126 


The  Combat 

Finally  Strahinya,  feeling  that  he  was  almost  spent,  called 
upon  his  wife  to  take  the  other  part  of  the  Turk's  sabre 
and  to  settle  the  contest  by  striking  either  his  head  or 
that  of  Vlah-Ali.  Thereupon  Vlah-Ali  called  out :  "  My 
darling !  O  thou  wife  of  Strahinya  !  Strike  me  not,  but 
rather  strike  Banovitch  as  thou  canst  never  again  be  dear 
to  him ;  he  will  blame  and  scorn  thee  for  ever  and  ever. 
But  thou  shalt  be  always  most  dear  to  me.  I  will  escort 
thee  to  Yedrenet,  thirty  maids  shall  there  be  to  wait  upon 
thee  :  to  carry  thy  robes  and  wide  sleeves.  With  sweet- 
meats will  I  feed  thee  and  will  cover  thee  with  golden 
ducats  from  head  to  foot ! " 

Women  may  easily  be  misled  by  fair  words  :  and  so  the 
wife  of  Strahinya  sprang  forward  and  picked  up  a  piece 
of  the  sharp  blade,  wrapping  it  carefully  in  fine  silk,  for 
she  feared  it  might  wound  her  hand.  Then  she  ran 
swiftly  to  the  fighting  heroes,  and  taking  all  care  not  to 
hurt  AH,  she  violently  struck  the  head  of  Banovitch,  and 
cut  through  the  golden  crest  and  the  white  helmet.  The 
blade  but  slightly  gashed  Strahinya's  head,  but  down 
rushed  the  blood  over  his  face  fast  and  thick  and  all  but 
blinded  him. 

At  this  bitter  moment,  Strahinya  thought  of  his  faithful 
Caraman  and  called  to  him  twice.  The  dog  rushed 
furiously  at  the  faithless  woman  and  held  her  fast,1 
whereupon  she  was  much  terrified  and  screaming  loudly, 
she  threw  the  blade  afar  and  seized  the  dog  by  its  ears. 
The  Turk,  alarmed  and  distracted,  turned  round  to  see 
what  had  happened.  So  encouraged  was  Strahinya  at 
this  new  proof  of  his  dog's  intelligence  and  faithfulness, 
that  new  strength  came  to  him  and  seizing  the  opportunity 

1  Here  the  bard  in  his  naive  meditations  on  the  psychology  of  women, 
states  that  the  fair  sex  is  always  alarmed  by  true  dogs. 

127 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

he  threw  his  adversary  on  the  ground  and  slew  him  with 
his  teeth  "  as  wolves  slaughter  lambs."  Then  he  carried 
away  his  wife  (whom  the  intelligent  Caraman  had  left 
unhurt)  to  her  father's  castle. 

The  return  of  the  Falcon 

When  Youg  Bogdan  and  his  sons  saw  Strahinya  covered 
with  blood,  they  were  greatly  astonished  that  there 
should  be  a  Turk  valiant  enough  to  wound  a  hero  such  as 
Strahinya.  But  Strahinya  narrated  to  them  the  shameful 
conduct  of  his  wife,  and  the  story  made  Youg  Bogdan  so 
incensed  that  he  commanded  his  sons  to  pierce  their 
sister  with  their  swords.  But  the  ever  chivalrous 
Strahinya  protested,  exclaiming :  "  O  my  brothers-in-law, 
ye  nine  Yougovitch  !  Why,  O  brothers  would  ye  cover 
yourselves  with  shame  to-day  ?  On  whom  would  ye  draw 
your  blades  ?  Since  ye  are,  O  brothers,  so  blood-thirsty 
and  so  courageous,  where  were  all  your  knives  and  your 
bright  sabres  when  I  went  to  the  field  of  Kossovo  ?  Why 
did  ye  not  accompany  me  then,  and  exhibit  your  bravery 
before  the  fierce  Turks  ?  Why  did  ye  not  then  prove 
yourselves  to  be  my  friends  ?  I  will  not  let  ye  kill  your 
sister ;  without  your  help  I  could  have  slain  her  myself. 
She  is  but  a  frail  and  easily  misguided  woman !  But  I 
shall  not  kill  her :  on  the  contrary  she  will  henceforth  be 
dear  to  me  as  ever." 
The  bard  ends  his  poem  : 

Pomalo  ye  takiyeh  younaka, 

Ka'  shto  beshe  Strahinyityou  Bane  ! 

("  Few  are  the  heroes  fit  to  be  compared  with  Banovitch 
Strahinya!") 


128 


CHAPTER  VI  :  THE  TSARINA 
MILITZA  AND  THE  ZMAY1  , 
OF  YASTREBATZ 

Militza  tells  the  Tsar 

OTHOU  one  and  indivisible  God  1  Mayest 
thou  be  glorified  1  "  .  .  .  Tsar  Lazar  sat  at 
supper,  and  with  him  sat  the  Tsarina  Militza, 
sorrowful  and  depressed.  This  unusual  aspect  of  his 
beloved  consort  alarmed  the  Tsar,  and  he  asked  her 
tenderly  :  "  O  Militza,  thou  my  Tsarina !  If  I  put  a  ques- 
tion to  thee,  wouldst  thou  answer  me  with  the  truth  ? 
Why  art  thou  so  gloomy,  so  sorrowful  and  pale  to-night  ? 
Is  anything  thou  desirest  lacking  in  our  castle?"  The 
Tsarina  replied :  "  O  Tsar  Lazar,  thou  Serbian  golden 
crown  !  Verily  whensoever  thou  speakest  to  me  I  answer 
but  the  truth.  Nothing  is  lacking  in  our  palace  ;  but 
truly  a  great  misfortune  has  befallen  me,  for  the  Zmay  of 
Yastrebatz  is  accustomed,  ever  since  last  year  to  come  to 
my  tower  each  night  to  embrace  me."  Tsar  Lazar, 
astounded,  said :  "  Listen  to  me,  O  Tsarina  Militza ! 
When  thou  hast  retired  to  thine  apartment  in  the  white 
tower  to-night  and  thy  magic  lover  hath  come,  ask  him  if 
there  be  any  besides  God  whom  he  fears,  and  if  there  is 
to  be  found  on  this  earth  a  hero  whom  he  deems  superior 
to  himself!" 

Soon  after  supper  the  Tsar  went  to  his  narrow  and  many- 
storied  tchardack?  and  the  Tsarina  retired  to  her  tower. 
And  it  was  seen  how  the  mountain  Yastrebatz  glowed 

1  Zmay  is  the  Serbian  word  for  '  dragon,'  but  in  this  poem  it  is  employed 
metaphorically  to  suggest  the  superhuman  attributes  supposed  to  be 
possessed  by  the  heroes. 

2  Tchardack  is  a  Turkish  word  and  signifies  :  a  tower  provided  with 
balconies. 

I  129 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

suddenly  as  if  on  fire,  and  how  out  of  the  flames  flew 
the  Zmay  straight  over  the  level  plain  of  Kroushevo  to 
the  Tsarina's  tower. 

When  he  entered  the  Tsarina's  apartment  he  took  off  his 
fairy  garment  and  looked  tenderly  upon  the  fair  woman. 
The  Tsarina  affected  to  welcome  her  lover,  and  after  a  time 
she  said :  "  I  pray  thee,  O  Zmay  of  Yastrebatz,  since  thou 
comest  so  daringly  to  my  tower,  tell  me  is  there  any  besides 
God  whom  thou  dreadest  ?  and  lives  there  in  the  whole 
world  any  hero  whom  thou  deemest  superior  to  thyself?" 
Thereupon  the  Zmay  answered  in  surprise  :  "  Keep  silent, 

0  Militza !  (or  mayest  thou  remain  speechless  for  ever !) 
Surely  thou  askest  me  this  question  because  thou  hast 
been  instructed  by  Lazar  !  " 

But  Militza  swore  to  him,  saying  :  "  No,  not  so !  May  I 
perish  if  I  speak  not  the  truth !  I  ask  thee  because  I  see 
thou  art  such  an  excellent  hero." 

When  the  Zmay  heard  this  he  trusted  to  the  false  oath 
(less  dangerous  it  would  have  been  for  him  if  a  viper  had 
bitten  him !)  and  spoke  in  this  wise :  "  O  Militza,  dearest 
Tsarina  !  Since  thou  askest  me  truly,  truly  shall  I  answer 
thee.  On  the  whole  of  this  earth  I  dread  none  but  God ; 
neither  is  there  hero  whom  I  fear,  save  only  that  on  a  plain 
called  Sirmia  there  is  a  village  known  as  Koopinovo,  and 
in  that  village  lives  a  Zmay- Despot  Vook  ;  him  I  fear,  for 

1  have  known  him  ever  since  our  foolish  childhood.     We 
often  used  to  play  together  on  the  summit  of  the  high 
mountain  Yastrebatz,   and  Vook  would  always  get  the 
better  of  me  in  our  contests.     It  is  Vook  only  whom  I 
dread,  for  he  is  the  champion  Zmay  on  this  earth." 

As  the  Zmay  pronounced  the  last  of  these  words,  Danitza 
— the  morning  star — appeared  on  the  horizon  and  the 
Zmay  instantly  took  flight  to  his  castle. 
130 


Vook  as  Champion 

The  Tsarina  hastened  to  Lazar's  tchardack  and  informed 
him  of  what  she  had  learnt  from  the  Zmay.  Hearing 
the  story  the  Tsar  decided  to  write  in  '  slender  characters  ' 
a  message  to  Zmay-Despot  Vook  telling  what  he  had 
learned  beseeching  him  to  come  to  Kroushevatz  and  kill 
his  detested  enemy  the  Zmay  of  Yastrebatz.  For  rendering 
that  service  Vook  should  receive  three  tovars  of  ducats 
and  the  kingdom  of  Sirmia  to  be  his  for  life. 

Vook  as  Champion 

The  message  duly  reached  the  hands  of  Zmay-Despot 
Vook,  and,  having  perused  it  he  considered  for  a 
while  as  to  what  he  should  do.  He  loved  the  friend  of 
his  childhood,  but  he  could  not  condone  his  shameful 
conduct.  Finally  he  decided  to  battle  with  the  Zmay 
of  Yastrebatz,  so  he  saddled  his  black  steed,  presented 
to  him  by  the  veela,  and  that  very  night  he  reached  the 
plain  of  Kroushevo ;  there  he  alighted ;  spread  his  tent 
in  the  wheat-fields  of  Lazar  and  drank  cool  wine. 
Meantime  the  sun  rose  and  as  the  Tsar  slowly  paced 
his  balcony,  he  suddenly  noticed  a  tent  in  his  fields,  and 
a  strange  and  very  wonderful  knight  within  it.  He 
immediately  called  the  Tsarina  and  pointed  out  to  her 
what  he  saw.  Militza  exclaimed  that  this  must  be  none 
other  than  Zmay-Despot  Vook,  for  he  much  resembled  her 
magic  lover  the  Zmay  of  Yastrebatz. 
The  Tsar  immediately  sent  a  messenger  to  the  stranger 
bidding  him  come  at  once  to  the  palace,  where  a  noble 
feast  awaited  him.  But  Vook  sent  word  that  he  desired 
to  remain  in  his  tent  and  he  requested  that  the  Tsarina 
should  not  close  fast  the  doors  of  her  apartments  that 
night  but  should  quietly  await  the  coming  of  the  Zmay  of 
Yastrebatz  and  leave  the  issue  to  her  new  protector. 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Upon  receiving  Vook's  reply  the  Tsar  ordered  a  fine 
repast  to  be  prepared  and  taken  to  his  tent,  not  omitting 
a  large  quantity  of  red  wine. 

The  day  passed  uneventfully,  and  when  night  came  the 
fair  Militza  retired.  As  usual  Mount  Yastrebatz  burst 
into  its  customary  light,  and  its  lord  flew  from  the  flames 
straight  to  the  Tsarina's  tower  and  stole  into  her  chamber, 
where  he  doffed  his  magic  garment.  Suddenly  he  heard 
the  voice  of  Z may-Despot  Vook  saying :  "  Thou  who  hath 
presumed  to  embracejthe  Serbian  Tsarina,  come  forth  this 
instant  from  the  white  tower !  " 

Greatly  alarmed,  the  Zmay  of  Yastrebatz  cursed  the 
Tsarina  thus  :  "  Lo,  Militza,  may  God  destroy  thee !  Thou 
hast  betrayed  me  to  Lazar!  " 

Saying  this  he  donned  his  magic  garment  and  made  haste 
to  depart.  Instead  of  as  usual,  directing  his  flight  to  his 
castle  on  Yastrebatz,  he  ascended  straight  into  the  clouds. 
Vook  pursued  him  very  closely  and  coming  up  with  him 
at  an  extreme  height,  he  struck  him  violently  with  his 
heavy  club  and  broke  both  his  wings.  Down  fell  .the 
Zmay  of  Yastrebatz,  swift  as  a  stone  to  the  earth,  where 
he  lay  writhing  like  a  snake  and  moaning  piteously — 
"  May  a  similar  misfortune  befall  every  hero  who  entrusts 
his  mistress  with  his  secrets ! "  He  had  not  a  long  time 
in  which  to  indulge  his  bitter  reflections  for  Vook  was 
following  and  the  instant  he  alighted  he  struck  off  the 
head  of  the  Zmay.  Then  he  went  to  Lazar  and  threw 
the  head  upon  the  ground  before  him.  The  Tsar  was 
so  terrified  at  the  mere  sight  of  the  ghastly  object  that 
he  was  seized  suddenly  by  a  severe  fever.  But  he  gave 
the  promised  gold  to  Vook  as  well  as  an  imperial 
decree  empowering  him  to  rule  independently  over  Sirmia 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Moreover,  he  promised 
132 


Vook  as  Champion 

that  should  Vook  ever  be  without  gold,  he  need  but 
apply  to  the  Tsar,  and  he  should  have  his  needs  supplied. 
The  bard  ends:  "And  they  long  lived  happily,  always 
helping  each  other,  as  fellow-countrymen  should  do  ;  and 
the  glory  of  the  hero  became  a  tradition;  we  now  re- 
member the  anniversary  of  the  slaying  of  the  Zmay  of 
Yastrebatz  as  the  happiest  day  in  the  year  1 " 


133 


CHAPTER  VII  :  THE  MARRIAGE 
OF  MAXIMUS  TZRNOYEVITCH 

The  Ballad 

THIS  ballad  from  which  the  King  of  Montenegro — 
Nicholas    Petrovitch — drew    inspiration  for    his 
drama     The  Empress    of  the  Balkans    is    un- 
doubtedly the  finest  Serbian  national  poem  ever  composed 
and  chanted  in  Montenegro.     To  render  it  satisfactorily 
in  its  poetic  form  into  another  language,  compact  as  it 
is  of  intensely  national  characteristics,    metaphors   and 
other  figures  of  speech,  religious  conceptions,  customs  and 
superstitions,  would  be  impossible  for  even  the  greatest 
of  our  poets. 

A  French  proverb  says  quand  on  n'a  pas  ce  que  Pon  aime, 
ou  aime  ce  que  Pon  a,  and  the  hope  may  here  be  expressed 
that  the  philosophic  English  reader  will  make  the  best  of 
the  following  prose  version,  such  as  it  is,  of  a  most 
interesting  national  poem. 

The  Story 

Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch  1  sailed  across  the  Adriatic  to  Venice, 
in  order  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  doge  and  to  ask  his 
daughter  in  marriage  for  his  son  Maximus.  He  re- 
mained there  three  years,  during  which  he  spent  three 
tovars  of  gold  and  upon  his  departure  at  the  end  of 
this  period  he  arranged  to  return  the  following  year  with 
his  son  and  with  one  thousand,  or  more,  guests  for  the 
marriage  festivities.  The  doge  and  his  two  sons,  as  well 
as  a  hundred  of  the  doge's  high  dignitaries,  accompanied 
Ivan  to  his  galley  and  the  Montenegrin  prince  repeated 

1  Ruler  of  Zetta  and  Montenegro,  which  were  separate  states  at  the 
beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

134 


The  Story 

his  promise  to  come  again  the  next  year  with  his  guests 
and  with  his  son,  than  whom,  he  averred,  no  finer  hero 
or  handsomer  youth  could  be  found  in  any  gathering  of 
one  thousand  Montenegrins  or  one  thousand  Venetians. 
The  doge,  exceedingly  pleased  to  have  for  his  son-in-law 
such  a  fine  hero,  embraced  Ivan,  saying :  "  I  thank  thee, 
my  friend,  for  such  words  1  How  happy  I  am  to  have 
gained  such  a  dear  son-in-law,  whose  equal  should  in  vain 
be  sought  among  thousands  1  I  shall  love  him  more  than 
the  sight  of  my  eyes  ;  and  shall  prepare  precious  gifts  for 
him  :  horses  and  falcons,  helmets  with  golden  crests  and 
round  him  cloaks  to  wrap  such  as  he  may  be  proud  to 
wear.  But  if  he  be  not  as  handsome  as  thou  hast  said ; 
woe  to  thee !  " 

After  this  Ivan  sailed  for  Zablak.  As  he  neared  his 
castle  he  felt  very  happy  and  urged  on  his  steed  Zdral 
the  sooner  to  reach  home.  His  faithful  consort  perceived 
him  from  afar,  and  at  once  gave  orders  to  the  servants 
to  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  the  arrival 
of  their  lord.  She  judged  from  the  gay  appearance 
of  her  husband  that  he  must  have  succeeded  in  his 
mission. 

When  Ivan  arrived  in  the  courtyard  of  his  castle,  some 
of  his  servants  helped  him  to  alight  from  his  steed,  others 
took  off  his  armour  and  arms,  and  his  son  Maximus 
brought  him  a  silver  settle  that  he  might  be  seated  and 
rest.  Ivan  turned  to  thank  his  son,  but  behold !  A 
misfortune  had  befallen  him  1  During  his  father's  absence 
Maximus  had  been  stricken  with  small-pox — that  terrible 
scourge  I — and  his  once  handsome  face  was  so  pitted  and 
seamed  that  it  was  now  horrible  to  look  upon.  The  bard 
assures  us  that  it  was  hardly  possible  to  find  an  uglier 
fellow  than  Maximus  had  become. 

'35 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  prince  immediately  recollected  his  boast  to  the  doge, 
that  there  could  not  be  found  amongst  thousands  a 
handsomer  youth  than  his  son,  and  he  felt  very  sad  ;  his 
long  moustache  drooped  down  on  to  his  shoulders,1  and, 
with  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground  he  sat  silent  and  gloomy. 
His  consort  saw  with  concern  her  husband's  despondency 
and  she  endeavoured  to  raise  his  spirits.  Gathering  up 
the  folds  of  her  flowing  robe  and  the  ends  of  her  long 
sleeves,  she  came  close  and,  bending,  kissed  his  hand. 
"  Pray,  my  lord,"  she  said,  "  why  art  thou  so  sad  ?  Hast 
thou,  perhaps,  not  been  successful  in  thy  mission  ?  Hast 
thou  not  betrothed  the  doge's  daughter  to  our  son  ?  Is 
she  perhaps  not  fair  enough  to  become  thy  daughter-in- 
law?  Dost  thou  regret  the  three  tovars  of  gold  which 
thou  hast  spent?" 

Thereupon  Ivan  roused  himself  and  replied  that  it  was 
quite  another  misfortune  which  was  troubling  him.  He 
told  how  he  had  successfully  betrothed  the  doge's 
daughter,  and  that  she  was  so  beautiful  that  even  the 
veele  could  not  be  compared  with  her;  that  it  was  not 
the  thought  of  the  gold  he  had  spent  that  tormented  him 
— for  his  castle  was  heaped  up  with  treasure,  and  the 
abstraction  of  three  tovars  of  ducats  had  hardly  affected 
the  size  of  the  store.  No,  the  real  cause  of  his  misfortune 
was  that  he  had  promised  the  doge  to  give  him  for  his 
son-in-law  a  youth  who  was  the  handsomest  to  be  found 
amongst  thousands,  and  that  if  he  were  to  present  his  son 
Maximus  as  he  now  was,  the  doge  would  surely  be  angry 
and  a  war  would  ensue. 

When  the  princess  heard  this,  she  reproached  Ivan  with 
having  gone  so  far  away  for  a  bride,  when  he  could  have 

1  This  expression  occurs  in  several  of  the  poems  and  implies  the  most 
deeply  felt  depression  of  spirits,  and  disappointment, 

136 


The  Message  from  the  Doge 

found  in  Montenegro  itself  a  much  finer  maiden  whose 
family  would  be  worthy  of  an  alliance  with  his  own. 
Prince  Ivan  was  persuaded  that  he  had  acted  unwisely, 
and  he  decided  to  abandon  the  betrothal,  and  forbade  his 
friends  to  congratulate  him. 

The  Message  from  the  Doge 

Nine  years  elapsed,  and  it  seemed  that  the  betrothal  had 
been  forgotten  by  all,  and  that  the  doge's  daughter, 
having  heard  nothing  from  Ivan,  had  surely  wedded 
another  prince.  But  one  day  a  message  from  the  doge 
arrived,  in  which  he  reproached  the  Montenegrin  prince 
with  having  allowed  nine  years  to  pass  without  sending  a 
word  to  his  daughter — who,  "from  only  a  bud,  had  de- 
veloped into  a  beauteous  rose."  He  further  requested 
Ivan  to  write  to  his  still  patient  daughter,  and  to  tell  her 
plainly  what  he  had  decided  with  regard  to  the  proposed 
marriage;  for  if  he  did  not  now  deem  his  son  worthy  of 
such  a  precious  maiden,  he  must  at  once  tell  her  so,  that 
a  prince  deserving  of  her  might  be  found. 
The  prince  was  seized  with  great  grief  as  he  read  the 
doge's  message.  What  could  he  say  or  do?  After 
pondering  long  he  sought  his  princely  consort  and  ad- 
dressed her  in  this  wise :  "  O  my  sweet-eyed  darling !  I 
pray  you  counsel  me  now  what  to  do !  Shall  I  despatch  a 
message  to  the  maiden  and  tell  her  that  she  is  at  liberty 
to  seek  another  in  marriage,  or  how  otherwise  shall  I 
write?" 

The  princess  was  a  wise  woman,  and  she  advised  her 
husband  prudently : 1  "  O  my  lord,  thou  Tzrnoyevitch 

1  In  this  verse  the  troubadour  expresses  the  opinion — not  at  all  com- 
plimentary to  women,  but  universally  prevailing  in  the  Balkans — that 
"women  have  long  hair  and  short  brains  "  (Dooge  kossc  a  pamcti  kratkt). 

137 


Tales  §P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Ivo !  Has  ever  any  man  been  counselled  by  a  wife  ? 
This  has  never  been  and  never  shall  be.  For  we  women 
have  long  hair,  but  little  brains.  But  as  thou  hast  asked 
for  my  opinion,  I  will  venture  to  say  that  it  would  be  a  sin 
before  God,  and  before  the  world  a  shame,  to  deprive  a 
maiden  of  happiness  by  releasing  her  from  a  suitably 
arranged  betrothal.  Listen  to  me,  dear  lord !  What  an 
insignificant  reason  alarms  thee!  If  the  small-pox  has 
damaged  thy  son's  visage,  thy  distant  friends  should 
make  allowance  for  such  misfortune  resulting  from  illness 
— for  who  is  exempt?  Furthermore,  if  thou  dreadest  a 
conflict  when  thou  comest  to  Venice,  I  would  remind  thee 
that  thou  hast  dungeons  full  of  pure  golden  ducats ;  in  thy 
cellars  there  is  old  wine  in  abundance ;  thy  granaries  are 
overfilled  with  wheat  and  other  grain ;  consequently  thou 
art  well  able  to  gather  a  great  number  of  svats.  Thou 
hast  promised  the  doge  to  go  thither  with  one  thousand 
svats,  but  why  shouldest  thou  not  take  two  thousand 
chosen  heroes  and  equerries  with  thee?  When  the 
Venetians  see  with  how  great  a  force  thou  journeyest, 
they  will  not  dare  to  attack  thee,  even  if  thy  son  were 
blind.  Therefore,  gather  the  svats,  and  hasten  to  bring 
the  bride.  O  my  lord,  lose  no  more  time  in  vain  musing." 
At  these  bold  words,  the  prince  expressed  his  great  satis- 
faction in  a  burst  of  laughter.  He  immediately  inscribed 
a  missive  and  despatched  it  by  a  speedy  courier.  Its 
contents  ran  thus  :  "  O  my  friend,  thou  Doge  of  Venice ! 
Thou  could'st  hear,  if  thou  didst  but  listen,  the  roaring  of  my 
thirty  cannons,  which  I  am  about  to  fire  from  my  fortress ! 
O  friend,  do  not  lose  a  single  moment,  but  send  at  once 
galleys  to  meet  me,  my  son  and  all  our  svats.  Farewell ! " 
Ivan  then  sent  to  Milosh  Obrenbegovitch,  inviting  him  to 
be  the  stari-svat  and  to  attend  with  as  many  chosen  heroes 

138 


A  tower  had  struck  Maxinws  without  doing  him  serious  hurt 


138 


The  Message  from  the  Doge 

as  he  could  possibly  find  within  the  provinces  of  Antivari 
and  Dulzigno.  He  wrote  also  to  his  cousin,  Captain 
Yovan,  inviting  him  to  come  to  the  wedding  with  as 
many  of  his  friends  as  possible.  Couriers  were  sent  to 
other  friends,  who  received  Ivan's  invitation  gladly,  and 
before  long  the  plain  of  Zablak  was  studded  with  their 
innumerable  tents.  One  morning  Ivan  noticed  Captain 
Yovan,  the  bride's  leader,  pacing  sadly  the  ramparts  of 
the  castle,  and  casting  frequent  glances  at  the  spearmen, 
equerries  and  standards  in  the  encampment  below.  Prince 
Ivan  would  not  suffer  anybody  to  be  unhappy  in  the  midst 
of  his  festive  preparations,  and  so  asked  Captain  Yovan 
the  cause  of  his  gloom.  Yovan  said,  that  if  he  might 
speak  of  what  was  lying  upon  his  heart,  he  would  counsel 
the  prince  to  prepare  a  great  feast  for  those  numberless 
Montenegrins  encamped  before  his  castle,  after  which 
couriers  should  be  sent  throughout  the  camp  telling  all  to 
return  home  that  their  fields  should  not  be  ruined  by 
neglect.  Thus  the  land  would  not  be  deprived  of 
defenders  against  their  persistent  foe,  the  Turk,  who 
might  attack  the  country  at  any  moment  while  they  were 
away.  Then  Yovan  went  on  to  relate  to  the  prince  how  the 
previous  night  he  had  seen  in  a  dream  the  sky  suddenly 
covered  with  dark  clouds ;  from  those  clouds  a  thunder- 
bolt had  fallen  upon  his  princely  castle  and  razed  every 
single  stone  of  it  to  the  ground ;  a  fire  had  then  broken 
out  and  consumed  the  beautiful  capital  Zablak.  When  the 
castle  fell  a  tower  had  struck  Maximus  but  without  doing 
him  serious  hurt.  "Nevertheless,"  continued  Yovan,  "if 
there  be  any  truth  in  dreams,  Maximus  would  either 
perish  or  be  severely  wounded  in  Venice,  and  if  I  should 
be  offended  by  a  Venetian,  all  my  followers,  five  hundred 
men  of  Podgoritza,  would  die  in  my  defence." 

139 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Prince  Ivan  laughed  heartily  when  Yovan  had  ended,  and 
said  that  his  good  friend  owed  his  bad  dreams  to  the 
fact  that  his  pillows  were  either  too  high  or  too  low. 
Then  saying,  "dreams  are  false,  but  God  is  true,"  he 
turned  away  to  give  orders  to  fire  thirty  guns  from  the 
fortress  as  the  signal  for  departure. 

When  the  cannon  roared,  especially  the  two  famous  guns 
Krgno  and  Zelenko^  the  whole  valley  quaked,  the  black 
mountains  resounded  and  the  water  of  Zetina  was  stirred 
to  its  depths.  Some  equerries  were  shaken  from  their 
steeds  and  those  standing  fell  on  their  knees  on  the  grass, 
for  it  is  no  light  matter  when  siege-guns  roar ! 

The  Wedding  Procession  sets  out 
The  svats  started  on  the  journey  in  the  best  of  spirits; 
some  urged  and  raced  their  coursers,  others  were  drinking 
and  singing  gay  wedding  songs  as  they  marched.  In 
their  midst  rode  Prince  Ivan  on  his  courser  Zdral,  with 
two  proud  falcons  on  his  shoulders;  on  his  right  rode 
Maximus,  and  on  his  left  Milosh  Obrenbegovitch.  Prince 
Ivan  glanced  often  at  his  companions,  and  involuntarily 
drew  a  comparison  between  the  two.  All  at  once  he 
ordered  a  halt  and  spake  aloud,  saying :  "  Listen,  O  my 
brothers,  ye  glorious  svats!  I  have  a  plan  to  propose, 
and  hope  that  you  will  think  it  good.  We  are  on  the 
point  of  embarking,  O  brothers,  and  will  soon  arrive  in 
Venice.  But  look  upon  my  son  Maximus,  how  much 
spoilt  is  his  appearance  by  horrible  disease;  he  is 
unquestionably  the  ugliest  of  us  all !  Alas  !  when  I  was 
in  Venice  nine  years  ago  I  praised  him  as  the  handsomest 
youth  to  be  found  amongst  one  thousand  Montenegrins; 
yea,  even  amongst  one  thousand  Venetians.  Therefore, 
O  brothers,  I  am  very  sad  this  morning,  and  have  no 
140 


The  Wedding  Procession  sets  out 

pleasure  in  the  thought  of  meeting  the  doge.  Hear  that 
the  Venetians  may  attack  us,  so  great  will  be  their  dis- 
appointment. But  behold !  O  ye  my  valiant  svats  !  We 
have  here  with  us  a  hero  whose  equal  in  manly  beauty 
must  be  vainly  sought  amongst  us,  as  also  amongst  the 
proud  Venetians.  I  speak  of  Voivode  Milosh  Obren- 
begovitch.  Let  us,  then,  take  off  the  plumed  helmet 
from  the  head  of  my  son  and  place  it  upon  Milosh's  head, 
and  thus  make  him  the  bridegroom  for  the  time  being,  until 
we  have  peacefully  gained  possession  of  the  maiden  1 " 
The  svats  were  greatly  impressed  by  Ivan's  scheme,  but 
they  hesitated  to  speak,  fearing  to  hurt  the  feelings  of 
Maximus,  who  was  a  spirited  youth  and  might  resent  the 
proposal.  But  Voivode  Milosh  said  graciously:  "  O  Ivan, 
our  lord !  Why  dost  thou  make  vain  appeal  to  the  svats  ? 
Rather  give  me  thy  hand  as  a  sign  of  firm  faith  that  the 
plan  does  not  in  any  way  offend  thy  noble  son.  Swear  to 
me  by  the  true  God  that  thou  hast  suggested  this  after  an 
understanding  with  thy  son,  and  I  will  in  return  pledge  my 
honour  that  I  shall  obtain  the  bride  for  Maximus  without 
a  fight.  You  shall  consent,  however,  to  cede  to  me  as  my 
reward  for  playing  a  false  part  all  the  presents  that  may  be 
given  to  me  as  the  bridegroom,  and  I  shall  not  be  expected 
to  divide  them  with  anybody,  but  shall  retain  them  all  for 
myself  1" 

Ivan  burst  into  laughter,  and  exclaimed :  "  O  Milosh, 
thou  Serbian  Voivode !  As  to  the  presents  thou  namest, 
I  give  thee  my  faith,  firmer  and  harder  than  stone  itself, 
that  nobody  shall  seek  to  have  a  share  in  them  with  thee ! 
Only  secure  the  bride  and  honourably  escort  her  till  we 
reach  our  city  of  Zablak,  and  I  promise  to  give  thee 
two  bootfuls  of  golden  ducats,  a  golden  cup  to  hold 
nine  litres  of  wine,  a  mare  '  Bedevia,'  the  mother  of 

141 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

studs  like  my  Zdral,  and  I  shall  girdle  on  thee  a  sabre  worth 
thirty  purses  of  golden  ducats." 

So  they  all  agreed,  and  having  placed  the  distinctive  hat 
and  ornaments  of  the  bridegroom  on  the  head  of  Voivode 
Milosh  they  resumed  their  journey,  and  after  some  tossing 
upon  the  waters  of  the  Adriatic  they  reached  Venice  without 
misadventure. 

There  came  large  numbers  of  people  curious  to  see  the 
Montenegrins  and  especially  to  discover  for  themselves  if 
Maximus  was  really  the  fine  and  handsome  prince  that 
they  had  heard  he  was. 

When  the  Venetian  princes  heard  from  their  servants  that 
their  future  brother-in-law  was  really  as  handsome  as 
his  father  had  described  him  nine  years  earlier,  they 
came  eagerly  with  outstretched  arms  to  embrace  and 
welcome  him.  They  showed  him  the  apartments  in  their 
palace  which  had  been  prepared  for  the  princely  guests, 
and  all  were  lodged  in  comfort. 

The  wedding  festivities  lasted  for  three  days  and  then 
came  the  hour  of  departure.  At  the  sound  of  cannon  the 
svats  assembled  in  the  great  courtyard  awaiting  the 
commands  of  Prince  Ivan,  and  his  noble  son.  They  felt 
uneasy  when  they  saw  the  gate  of  the  palace  closed,  and 
on  each  side  of  it  two  Moorish  and  two  Venetian  soldiers 
standing  with  drawn  swords  the  blades  of  which,  and  even 
their  own  arms,  were  covered  with  blood.  Their  uneasiness 
became  alarm  when  after  some  time  they  saw  no  sign  of 
their  prince  and  the  bride  and  bridegroom.  They  were 
beginning  to  murmur  loudly  when  suddenly  they  heard 
the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  on  the  marble  pavement  and 
they  saw  Voivode  Milosh  trying  to  curb  his  destrier  with 
his  bit  as  he  spurred  him  gently  in  order  to  make  him 
bound  and  prance. 
142 


The  Wedding  Gifts 

The  Wedding  Gifts 

Behind  Milosh  rode  his  two  brothers-in-law  bringing  gifts. 
The  elder  of  them  led  a  black  steed  without  a  single 
blemish,  bearing  a  silver  saddle  adorned  with  heavy  gold, 
upon  which  sat  the  fair  bride  holding  a  grey  falcon. 
"Accept,  O  my  dear  and  noble  Maximus,"  said  the  prince, 
"  this  fair  maiden,  together  with  her  black  steed  and  her 
grey  falcon  as  a  token  of  our  love,  for  thou  art  in  truth  the 
pride  of  thy  brothers !  " 

Milosh  bowed  deeply  over  his  horse's  neck  as  he  thanked 
the  prince  for  his  gracious  words  and  accepted  the  bride 
with  the  gifts  which  she  brought.  The  second  brother 
now  bestowed  upon  the  bridegroom  a  sabre  in  a  golden 
scabbard,  saying  :  "  Wear  this,  O  brother,  and  be  proud 
of  it!"  Next  came  the  father  of  the  bride.  What  a 
beautiful  present  he  placed  in  his  hands!  A  helmet  in 
the  crest  of  which  shone  a  precious  stone  dazzling  like  the 
sun  so  that  one  could  not  look  at  it  long.  But  the  gift 
which  was  given  to  him  by  the  mother  of  the  bride  was 
more  magnificent  than  all !  This  gift  was  a  shirt  of  pure 
gold,  which  was  neither  woven  nor  twined,  but  had  been 
made  entirely  with  fingers ;  in  its  collar,  representing  a 
viper  ('  and  a  viper  will  finally  bite  him ')  there  was  fixed 
a  brilliant  diamond  shedding  forth  such  a  blaze  of  light 
that  he  would  never  need  a  candle  when  he  went  to  visit 
his  bride  in  her  bed-chamber.  All  the  svats  were 
astonished  at  the  magnificence  of  the  present. 
Now  came  the  aged  brother  of  the  doge,  Yesdimir,  with 
his  beard  reaching  to  his  waist,  walking  slowly  and 
supporting  himself  with  a  golden  staff.  Bitter  tears 
streamed  from  his  eyes.  He  wept,  it  is  true,  with  good 
reason.  Seven  wives  he  had  had  in  turn  during  his  long 


Tales  ®*  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

life,  but  no  sons  or  daughters  had  been  born  to   him. 
Therefore  he  bestowed  all  his  affections  upon  his  niece, 
whom  he  looked  upon  as  a  daughter,  and  who  took  in  his 
heart  the  place  of  the  children  he  had  once  hoped  to  be 
blessed  with,  and  now  that  the  beloved  maiden  was  to 
depart  to  a  far-away  land  he  was  greatly  grieved.    He  had 
some  '  wonder '  folded  under  his  arm,  and  as  he  approached 
the  svats,  he  called  the  bridegroom  by  name.     The  latter 
appeared  at  once  and  the  venerable  lord  laid  upon  the 
young  man's  shoulders  a  magnificent  cloak  which  reached 
from  his  shoulders  down  to   the  grass.      Indeed  when 
Milosh  remounted  his  horse,  the  cloak  concealed  not  only 
himself,  but  also  his  steed  down  to  its  very  hoofs.    How 
precious  it  was  !  and  oh  I  that  it  might  never  be  the  cause 
of  anything  but  happiness  to  the  hero !     It  was  said  that 
thirty  purses  of  gold  had  been  spent  on  its  lining  alone, 
and  what  a  sum  of  money  the  cloth  itself  must  have  cost ! 
Prince  Maximus  watched  and  saw  with  envious  eyes  how 
Voivode  Milosh  received  the  presents  which  were  intended 
for  him,  the  real  bridegroom.      When  the  large  gateways 
of  the  courtyard  were  opened,  the  svats,  passing  out  in 
procession,  received  from  the  doge's  servants  each  a  piece 
of  precious  silk  and  a  box  containing  various  presents,  and 
then  they  sailed  away  in  galleys. 

Soon  they  arrived  on  the  field  of  Zablak,  where  they  had 
met  on  starting  out  for  their  journey,  and  where  they  were 
now  to  separate.  Prince  Maximus  had  ridden  a  little 
ahead  with  his  ten  brothers-in-arms  in  order  to  hasten  and 
communicate  the  joyful  news  to  his  mother  and  Voivode 
Milosh,  being  aware  that  Prince  Maximus  was  out  of  sight, 
spurred  forward  his  courser  and  coming  up  with  the  bride 
and  the  dever,  he  boldly  took  the  hand  of  the  noble  maiden. 
The  bride,  thinking  in  her  innocence  that  he  was  Prince 
144 


The  Princess  learns  of  the  Deception 

Maximus,  removed  her  veil  and  stretched  out  her  hands  to 
the  pretended  bridegroom. 

The  Princess  learns  of  the  Deception 
Those  who  were  near  feigned  not  to  have  noticed  the 
incident,  but  Prince  Ivan  himself  happened  to  see  what  had 
occurred  and  it  troubled  him,  and  he  rode  up  and  addressed 
the  bride  thus :  "  Touch  him  not  with  thy  hands,  O  my 
dear  daughter-in-law !  or  may  they  be  struck  with  a  palsy ! 
Veil  thine  eyes  !  or  may  thy  sight  for  ever  fail  thee !  How 
canst  thou  act  so  in  the  presence  of  all  the  svats  ?  Dost 
thou  see  that  hero  riding  his  black  steed,  and  holding  his 
lance?  Dost  thou  see  his  shining  shield  and  his  face 
disfigured  by  small-pox  ?  That  is  my  son  Maximus,  whom 
I  praised  to  thy  father — when  I  asked  your  hand  for  him — 
saying  that  there  was  no  handsomer  youth  than  he  to  be 
found  amongst  thousands.  But  I  was  afraid  to  present  my 
son  with  his  ugly  face  to  you  and  to  your  father,  and  so 
we  had  recourse  to  a  stratagem  and  made  Voivode  your 
groom  temporarily  in  order  to  succeed  in  bringing  thee 
away  in  peace.  For  acting  so  Milosh  is  entitled  to  all  the 
presents  which  were  assigned  to  the  bridegroom ! " 
To  the  noble  maiden  her  father-in-law's  words  came  as  a 
thunderbolt.  She  halted  her  horse  and  refused  to  go  any 
farther,  saying :  "  O  my  dear  father-in-law,  thou  Prince 
Ivan !  Thou  hast  caused  thine  own  son's  misfortune  by 
having  made  Milosh  the  alleged  bridegroom.  Why  hast 
thou  done  so  ?  May  the  true  God  give  thee  thy  deserts 
for  that !  What  matters  it  if  his  face  is  pitted  ?  All  are 
subject  to  disease,  and  might  have  to  suffer  even  worse 
consequences.  ~  If  his  face  is  damaged,  his  eyes  are 
certainly  bright  and  his  heart  is  as  sound  as  ever.  If 
thou  hadst  considered  thy  son  to  be  still  too  young  to  be 

K  145 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

my  husband,  thou  shouldest  have  told  me  so,  and  I  would 
have  waited  in  my  father's  palace  for  another  nine  years — 
but  even  then  I  would  certainly  never  have  caused  you  to 
blush  with  shame  before  your  own  nobles  in  Zablak. 
Now  thou  hadst  better  give  up  the  presents  to  their 
rightful  owner,  thy  son  Maximus,  else  I  shall  not  go  a 
step  further,  even  if  thou  shouldest  threaten  to  put  out 
my  eyes." 

Hearing  this  firm  speech,  Prince  Ivan  was  greatly  dis- 
turbed, and  he  called  friends  and  Voivodes  to  counsel  him 
as  to  what  he  should  do.  But  none  of  them  dared  say 
one  word,  for  they  well  remembered  the  arrangement 
made  before  sailing  across  the  sea. 

MilosKs  Offer \ 

Voivode  Milosh  saw  that  no  one  would  speak,  and  he 
spurred  his  steed  and  addressed  Prince  Ivan  in  this  wise : 
"  O  Ivan,  thou  our  lord  !  Where  is  thy  firm  faith  ?  If  it 
fails  now,  may  you  yourself  live  to  be  betrayed  !  Hast 
thou  not  given  me  thy  word  that  the  wedding  gifts  should 
be  mine  intact  ?  But  now  you  frame  a  plan  to  break  thy 
faith  !  Since  thou  art  so  little  to  be  depended  on,  I  agree 
— for  the  sake  of  peace  among  our  brothers  and  svats — to 
give  up  the  first  two  presents:  I  return  to  your  son  the 
fair  bride  and  her  steed  with  all  its  gold  and  silver 
trappings.  In  justice,  and  according  to  impartial 
judgment,  I  should  be  fully  entitled  even  to  marry  the 
fair  maiden — for  she  was  presented  to  me  by  all,  her 
parents  and  her  brothers — but  I  shall  say  no  more  about 
that,  and  simply  cede  to  you  these  two  presents,  together 
with  the  grey  falcon.  Here!  I  return  to  your  son  even 
the  golden  scabbard  and  the  bright  sabre,  but  I  shall 
never  consent  to  yield  the  helmet,  the  cloak,  and  the 
146 


Milosh's  Ofter 

golden  shirt ;  for  I  am  determined  to  carry  them  to  my 
own  land,  and  show  them  to  my  friends  and  brothers, 
who,  I  am  certain,  will  be  proud  of  them.  I  swear  by  my 
faith  in  the  true  God  that  I  shall  not  give  up  these  three 
presents. " 

All  the  svats,  moved  by  Milosh's  fairness,  agreed  to  the 
offer,  and  thanked  him  for  his  noble  sacrifice  for  the  sake 
of  peace,  but  they  were  strongly  opposed  by  the  bride, 
who  could  not  reconcile  herself  to  the  loss  of  the  precious 
gifts,  and  especially  the  golden  shirt.  So  she  called  aloud 
for  Prince  Maximus.  This  alarmed  Prince  Ivan  very 
much,  and  he  tried  to  quieten  the  maiden  in  these  words  : 
"  O  my  sweet  daughter-in-law,  thou  Venetian  maiden  1 
Do  not  call  my  son,  for  we  have  done  him  great  injustice. 
Prince  Maximus  has  a  high  sense  of  honour  and  is  a  brave 
man.  I  dread  a  fight  above  everything,  and  our  festivities 
may  so  easily  turn  into  mourning.  I  possess  in  Zablak  a 
dungeon  full  of  golden  treasure,  which  I  shall  present  to 
thee,  and  thou  canst  do  with  it  whatever  pleases  thee  !  " 
But  the  maiden  was  not  easy  to  persuade,  and  she  once 
more  called  Prince  Maximus,  who  came  with  all  speed  to 
the  scene.  "O  Maximus,  thou  only  son  of  thy  mother  1  " 
began  his  bride,  "may  she  lose  thee  !  May  the  warriors 
make  a  handbier  of  thy  lance  and  with  thy  shield  may 
they  cover  thy  tomb !  May  thy  visage  blush  with  shame 
on  the  day  of  judgment,  as  it  does  to-day  at  the  contest 
with  Voivode  Milosh !  Why  didst  thou  agree  to  yield  to 
another  the  presents  which  rightly  belong  to  the  bride- 
groom ?  I  care  nothing  for  all  the  other  presents,  let 
Milosh  take  them  away,  and  may  a  torrent  take  him  away 
with  them  !  but  I  cannot  suffer  the  loss  of  the  golden 
shirt,  which  I  made  for  thee  myself,  and  which  took  me 
three  years  to  make,  with  three  maidens  assisting  me.  I 

H7 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

nearly  lost  my  sight  before  I  finished  working  at  this 
shirt,  and  all  the  time  I  was  thinking  of  thee.  Thou 
hadst  better  recover  the  shirt  from  Voi'vode  Milosh  at 
once,  for  I  swear  by  the  name  of  the  true  God  that 
otherwise  I  will  not  take  a  step  forward ;  but  I  shall  rein 
back  my  steed,  and,  when  I  reach  the  sea-coast,  I  shall 
pluck  a  leaf  of  aloe  and  shall  scratch  my  face  with  its 
thorns  till  blood  flows;  then  I  shall  write  and  send  a 
message  by  my  falcon  to  my  aged  father,  beseeching  him 
to  call  to  arms  all  his  force,  to  come  and  conquer  and 
pillage  thy  Zablak  and  repay  thee  thus  with  mourning  for 
thy  shameful  conduct  I " 

The  Violence  of  Maximus 

The  moment  Prince  Maximus  heard  this,  he  reined  back 
his  black  courser,  spurred  it  so  vehemently  that  the  skin 
of  his  courser's  stifle-joint  burst  and  blood  besprinkled  its 
hoofs.  The  frantic  animal  sprang  the  height  of  three 
lances  in  the  air  and  the  length  of  four  lances  forward,  so 
that  he  sped  like  lightning.  Milosh  burst  into  laughter, 
saying :  "  God  be  praised !  What  was  suddenly  the 
matter  with  that  boy !  "  But  his  mirth  was  short-lived, 
for  Prince  Maximus  now  turned  his  horse  straight  toward 
Milosh  furiously  throwing  his  lance  at  his  head.1  He  struck 
Milosh  so  vigorously  that  both  his  eyes  burst  and  he  fell 
from  his  steed.  Maximus  rushed  in  and  cleft  his  head 
asunder;  then  he  took  his  bride  from  her  leader  and  sped 
into  the  castle.2 
When  Voi'vode  Milosh's  warriors  saw  their  chief  fall,  they 

1  Other  renderings  ot  this  ballad  have  it  that  Maximus  challenged 
Milosh  to  a  duel  in  which  the  prince  was  victorious. 
*  Others  state  that  Maximus  did  not  flee  but  remained  and  fought  till 
he  was  nearly  exhausted  by  his  numberless  wounds,  and  that  then  he 
made  a  superhuman  effort  and  succeeded  in  rescuing  his  bride. 


Maximus  becomes  a  Turk 

fiercely  attacked  the  followers  of  Prince  Maximus,  and  a 
fight  ensued  from  which  but  very  few  returned  home. 

Maximus  becomes  a  Turk 

Prince  Maximus,  it  is  said,  was  so  disgusted  with  what 
had  occurred  that  he  wrote  to  the  doge,  inviting  him 
to  invade  Zablak  with  a  large  force  and  to  conquer 
Montenegro ;  as  for  him,  he  would  go  to  Istamboul  and 
embrace  Islamism.  This  he  did. 

Now  a  brother  of  Milosh,  namely,  Yovan  Obrenbegovitch, 
suspecting  that  Maximus's  intention  was  to  obtain  from 
the  Sultan  a  great  force  with  which  to  conquer  Monte- 
negro, decided  to  go  to  the  Sultan  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. But  it  was  his  intention,  should  he  also  succeed  in 
obtaining  an  army  from  the  Sultan,  to  use  it,  not  against 
his  fatherland,  Montenegro,  but  against  Prince  Maximus. 
On  their  way  to  Istamboul  the  two  men  met  and  they 
appeared  together  before  the  Sultan,  who,  knowing  well 
who  they  were  and  deeming  that  they  could  be  usefully 
employed  in  his  service  against  the  Christians,  like  many 
other  malcontents  from  Christian  courts,  received  them 
most  kindly.  They  adopted  the  Mohammedan  religion  and 
were  given  Turkish  names  :  Voivod  Yovan  was  called 
Mehmed-Bey  Obrenbegovitch,  and  Prince  Maximus, 
Scander-beg  Ivanbegovitch.  Having  served  as  faithful 
Turks  for  nine  years,  the  Sultan,  pleased  with  their 
conduct,  granted  them  both  vizi  rates :  to  Mehmed-bey 
Obrenbegovitch  he  gave  as  fief  the  plain  of  Ducadyin,  and 
Scander-beg  (Prince  Ivan's  son)  he  granted  Scutari  on 
the  River  Boyana. 


149 


CHAPTER  VIII  :  THE  MARRIAGE  OF 
TSAR  DOUSHAN  THE  MIGHTY 

Doushan  sends  Theodor  to  Ledyen 

KING  MICHAEL  of  Ledyen  had  a  beautiful  daughter, 
Roksanda,  and  when  Tsar  Doushan  asked  her  hand 
in  marriage  the  king  immediately  consented.  The 
betrothal  was  arranged  by  means  of  couriers,  and  Doushan 
had  not  seen  the  princess ;  he  therefore  summoned  Theodor, 
his  counsellor  of  State :  "  Listen  to  me,  my  trusty  Theo- 
dor!  "  said  he,  "thou  shalt  go  to  the  white  city  Ledyen  to 
King  Michael,  and  thou  shalt  ask  him  to  fix  the  date  for  the 
wedding  festivities.  Thou  shalt  also  settle  with  him  other 
customary  preliminaries  and  satisfy  thyself  that  the  peer- 
less Roksanda  is  a  fitting  tsarina  for  our  Serbian  lands." 
Theodor  promised  to  fulfil  his  mission  faithfully  and, 
having  made  the  necessary  preparations,  he  set  out  for 
the  Venetian  province.  When  he  arrived  at  the  white 
city  Ledyen  the  king  welcomed  him  courteously  and 
lavished  hospitality  upon  him  for  a  full  week. 
Then  Theodor  spoke  to  the  king  in  this  wise:  "O  my 
master's  friend,  thou  gallant  King  Michael !  My  tsar  has 
not  sent  me  here  only  that  I  should  drink  thy  wine ;  he  desires 
that  I  should  arrange  his  marriage ;  tell  me,  when  shall 
my  master  come  ?  what  time  of  the  year  will  suit  you  best 
to  receive  him  ?  how  many  svats  shall  he  bring  with  him 
when  he  comes  to  take  from  thee  the  beautiful  maiden 
Roksanda?  My  master  also  instructed  me  that  I  should 
desire  of  thee  to  be  permitted  the  happiness  of  seeing  the 
fair  princess." 

To  this  the  king  answered :  "  O  my  friend,  Theodor ! 
take  my  greetings  to  the  tsar  and  tell  him  that  he  is  at 
liberty  to  bring  with  him  as  many  svats  as  he  may  please ; 


The  rays  shone  upon  the  maiden 


150 


The  Princess  Roksanda 

also  tell  him  that  he  may  come  for  the  maiden  whenever 
he  may  choose;  but  request  him  in  my  name  that  under 
no  circumstances  shall  he  bring  with  him  his  nephews  the 
two  Voinovitchs,  Voukashin  and  Petrashin,  for  indeed  I 
have  heard  that  they  are  very  quarrelsome  when  in  their 
cups,  and  I  fear  that  they  may  disturb  the  harmony  of  our 
festivities.  As  to  the  princess,  she  shall  come  to  thee  at 
due  time  and  receive  at  thy  hands  the  ring  of  thy  master, 
as  is  the  well-established  custom." 

The  Princess  Roksanda 

At  nightfall  Theodor  was  conducted  into  an  unlighted 
room  and  while  he  wondered  when  the  candles  would  be 
brought,  lo  !  the  princess  stood  before  him,  shrouded  in 
the  thick  gloom.  Theodor  was  grieved  at  the  trick 
played  upon  him,  but  he  did  not  despair.  He  had  with 
him  the  magnificent  ring  of  his  august  master ;  it  was  so 
richly  studded  with  precious  stones  that  as  he  produced  it 
the  whole  room  was  lighted  up  and  the  rays  shone  upon 
the  maiden,  who  seemed  to  the  ambassador  more  beautiful 
than  the  white  veela  herself.  Theodor  presented  the 
betrothal  ring  and  gave  the  princess  also  one  thousand 
ducats;  her  brothers  then  conducted  her  back  to  her 
apartments. 

Next  morning  Theodor  took  leave  of  the  king  and  set  out 
upon  his  homeward  journey ;  when  he  arrived  at  Prisrend 
the  tsar  asked  eagerly :  "  O  my  trusty  Theodor !  Didst 
thou  see  the  maiden  Roksanda  and  didst  thou  give  her 
my  ring?  What  greetings  dost  thou  bring  me  from  King 
Michael?" 

And  Theodor  answered:  "Yea,  my  Lord,  I  saw  thy  bride 
and  presented  her  with  thy  ring ;  but  words  fail  me  to 
describe  the  enchanting  beauty  of  the  Princess  Roksanda ! 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Vain  would  it  be  to  search  for  her  equal  throughout 
Serbia !  And  fair  and  well  spoke  King  Michael :  Thou 
canst  go  for  the  maiden  whensoever  thou  choosest,  and 
thou  mayest  take  as  many  svats  as  thou  pleasest.  But  the 
king  prays  this  one  thing  of  thee  :  that  thou  shouldest 
under  no  circumstances  take  with  thee,  the  Voinovitchs, 
thy  two  nephews,  for  they  are  lovers  of  the  wine-cup  and 
are  quick  to  take  offence ;  they  may  enter  into  drunken 
quarrels,  and  it  may  be  difficult  to  settle  their  disputes  in 
a  peaceable  manner." 

When  he  heard  this  the  tsar  struck  his  knee  with  his  right 
hand,  and  exclaimed:  "Alas!  May  God  help  me!  Has 
the  ill  fame  of  my  nephews  spread  as  far  as  that  I  By 
my  unshakable  faith,  I  shall,  immediately  after  the 
wedding  festivities,  have  them  both  hung  on  the  gates  of 
their  castle  Voutchitrn  that  they  may  not  any  longer  bring 
shame  to  my  name  throughout  the  world." 

The  Procession  Starts 

Soon  afterward  the  tsar  proceeded  to  call  his  svats 
together  and  when  they  had  all  assembled  they  presented 
a  brilliant  spectacle.  The  wedding  procession  rode  on  its 
way  through  the  field  of  Kossovo  and  as  it  passed  by 
the  walls  of  the  castle  Voutchitrn,  the  two  youthful 
Voinovitchs  looked  upon  the  cavalcade  and  spoke  sadly 
to  each  other  thus :  "  Our  uncle  must  be  angry  with  us, 
otherwise  he  would  surely  have  invited  us  also  to  join  his 
wedding  party  ?  Some  churl  must  have  uttered  ill  words 
against  us.  May  a  hundred  evils  befall  him  who  has 
done  so  !  Our  tsar  is  going  to  the  Venetian  land  and  has 
not  a  single  hero  in  his  train,  neither  has  he  any  close 
relative  who  might  be  depended  upon  in  case  of  dire 
misfortune.  The  Venetians  are  known  from  ancient  times 
152 


The  Procession  Starts 

to  be  very  cunning  and  sly  and  they  may  kill  our  glorious 
tsar !  And  yet  to  accompany  him  uninvited  is  more  than 
we  dare  do." 

Thereupon  their  aged  mother  spoke  thus  :  "  O  my  children, 
ye  two  Voinovitchs  1  Ye  have  a  brother  in  the  mountains, 
Milosh-the-shepherd ;  though  the  youngest,  he  is  the 
greatest  hero  of  ye  all  and  will  find  some  way  to  uphold 
the  honour  of  our  name.  The  tsar  has  never  heard  about 
him.  I  counsel  you  to  send  him  a  message  and  bid  him 
come  to  the  castle  Voutchitrn,  mention  not  the  true  reason 
but  tell  him  that  his  mother,  being  aged,  may  die  at  any 
moment  and  that  she  wishes  to  give  him  her  blessings. 
Tell  him  to  make  haste  if  he  would  find  his  mother 
alive  1" 

This  advice  seemed  good  to  the  two  brothers.  They 
wrote  a  missive  and  dispatched  it  with  haste  to  the 
mountain  Shar  where  Milosh-the-shepherd  tarried  with 
his  flocks. 

As  Milosh  read  the  message  his  countenance  changed 
and  he  shed  bitter  tears.  His  grief  was  observed  by 
thirty  shepherds  who  were  around  him :  "  O  Milosh,  our 
valiant  chieftain !"  they  exclaimed,  "Many  messages 
have  reached  thee,  but  never  yet  have  we  seen  thee  shed 
tears  when  thou  didst  read  them.  Whence  came  this 
letter  and  what  evil  tidings  does  it  bring?  Tell  us  quickly, 
we  beseech  thee  1 " 

Milosh  sprang  to  his  feet  and  addressed  his  shepherds  in 
this  wise :  "  Hearken,  O  shepherds,  my  dearest  brethren ! 
This  message  comes  from  the  castle :  my  mother  is  on 
her  death-bed  and  she  summons  me  that  she  may  give 
me  her  blessing,  that  damnation  should  not  fall  upon  my 
soul.  I  must  hasten  to  her  side  and  while  I  am  absent 
from  the  mountain  I  charge  ye  to  watch  well  the  sheep." 

153 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

When  Milosh  came  near  to  his  white  castle,  his  brothers 

saw  him  from  a  tower  and  sallied  out  to  meet  him ;  their 

aged  mother  also  followed.     Milosh  was  astonished  to 

see  her  and  said  reproachfully :  "  Why,  O  brothers  dear, 

do  ye  make  misfortune  when  there  is  no  reason,  and  when 

all  is  well  with  ye  !     May   the   Almighty   forgive  your 

deception !  "    And  his  brothers  answered :  "  Come  within, 

dear  brother,  there  is  nevertheless  great  misfortune  I " 

The  young  men  embraced  each  other  and  Milosh  kissed 

his  mother's  hand.    Then  his  brothers  related  the  story  of 

their  uncle's  betrothal  and  how  he  was  proceeding  to  the 

Venetian  land  without  having  invited  his  two  nephews  to 

ride  in  the  wedding  procession,  and  they  besought  him  in 

this  wise :  "  O,  our  dear  brother  Milosh  !     Go  thou  with 

the  tsar,  yea,  although  thou  art  not  invited.     Misfortune 

may  befall,  and  haply  thou  shalt  succour  your  uncle.  Thou 

canst  go  and  come  back  again  without  making  thyself 

known  to  anyone  ! " 

Milosh  was   no   less   eager   than    his   brothers,   and   he 
answered  gladly :  "  I  will  go,  O  my  brothers !     Indeed 
how  could  I  do  otherwise?     If  I  were  not  willing  to  help 
our  dear  uncle,  whom  else  should  I  be  willing  to  aid  ?  " 
Thereupon  his  brothers  began  to  make  all  the  necessary 
preparations.   Peter  went  to  the  stables  to  saddle  his  steed 
Koulash,  while  Vankashin  remained  to  see  that  Milosh 
was  fittingly  attired.      He  first  put  on  him  a  fine  shirt 
which  was  embroidered  with  gold  from  the  neck  to  the 
waist ;  downward  from  the  waist  it  was  woven  of  white 
silk.      Over   the   shirt   he    placed    three    thin,    elegant 
ribbons;    then   a  waistcoat   adorned   with   thirty  golden 
buttons ;  then  a  golden  cuirasse  weighing  some  fifteen 
pounds.     And  in  all  details  he  attired  him  with  garments 
worthy   of  a  prince.     Finally  he   hung  upon   his  broad 
154 


- 


Milosh  Joins  the  Procession 

shoulders  a  coarse  Bulgar  shepherd's  cloak,  which 
entirely  enveloped  him,  and  placed  on  his  head  a  Bulgarian 
fur-cap  with  high  point,  thus  making  him  look  so  like  a 
black  Bulgar  that  his  own  mother  would  not  have  recog- 
nized him.  The  brothers  now  fetched  a  warrior's  lance 
and  mace  and  the  trusty  sword  of  their  old  father  VoYn. 
Then  Peter  brought  forward  Koulash,  upon  whom  he  had 
fastened  a  bear's  skin  in  order  that  the  tsar  might  not 
recognize  the  well-known  steed. 

Milosh  Joins  the  Procession 

Milosh  was  now  ready  to  set  out,  and  as  he  took  leave  of 
his  brothers  they  counselled  him  thus  :  "When  thou  comest 
up  with  the  wedding-guests  they  will  ask  thee  who  thou 
art  and  whence  thou  comest.  Thou  shalt  answer  that  thou 
art  coming  from  the  Karavallahian  land,  where  thou  hast 
been  serving  a  Turkish  lord,  Radoul-bey,  who  would  not 
pay  thee  thy  wages,  wherefore  thou  art  looking  for  a  more 
generous  master.  Say,  moreover,  that  having  received 
chance  tidings  of  the  tsar's  wedding,  thou  has  ridden  to 
join  thyself  to  the  servants  of  the  party,  not  for  any  wages, 
for  thou  wilt  gladly  serve  for  a  piece  of  bread  and  a  glass 
of  red  wine.  Thou  must,  meantime,  hold  firmly  the  reins 
of  thy  steed,  for  Koulash  is  accustomed  to  go  in  the  line 
with  the  tsar's  own  chargers,  and  he  may  betray  thee  ! " 
When  the  brothers  had  made  an  end  of  their  counsel 
Milosh  took  leave  of  them  and  of  his  mother  and  turned 
his  steed  in  the  directon  of  the  wedding  party,  and  he  came 
up  with  them  in  the  mountain  Zagorye".  Upon  seeing  the 
stranger  the  svats  hailed  him:  "Whence  are  thou  coming, 
little  young  Bulgar  ?  "  And  Milosh  answered  from  afar 
as  his  brothers  had  counselled.  Then  the  svats  welcomed 
him  readily,  saying :  "  Mayest  thou  be  happy  with  us, 

155 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

little  young  Bulgar!  We  are  always  glad  to  have  one 
more  in  our  company ! " 

The  princely  company,  all  aglow  with  the  brilliant  colours 
of  the  resplendent  uniforms,  their  lances  and  cuirasses 
gleaming  in  the  sun,  rode  on  until  they  came  to  a  valley. 
Now  Milosh  had  a  bad  habit,  acquired  in  the  mountain 
Shar  while  watching  his  sheep,  to  slumber  toward  mid-day, 
and  as  his  Koulash  stepped  proudly  on  he  fell  into  a  deep 
sleep  and  his  hand  suddenly  relaxed  on  the  rein.  No  sooner 
did  Koulash  feel  the  curb  loosen  than  he  arched  his  neck 
and  flew  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow  through  the  ranks  of 
the  cavalcade,  overturning  horses  and  riders,  till  he  reached 
the  horses  of  the  tsar,  when  he  ranged  himself  in  line  with 
them  and  fell  into  the  same  slow,  measured  pace. 
By  this  time  the  whole  procession  had  fallen  into  disorder, 
and  a  crowd  of  Lale1  would  have  fallen  upon  the  innocent 
cause  of  the  commotion,  had  not  Doushan  intervened  to 
protect  him,  saying,  "  Do  not  strike  this  youthful  Bulgarian, 
he  is  a  shepherd,  and  shepherds  have  a  habit  of  dozing 
toward  noon  while  watching  their  sheep ;  do  not  be  violent, 
but  awaken  him  gently."  Thereupon  the  svats  awakened 
Milosh,  shouting:  "Rise,  O  foolish  young  Bulgarian! 
May  the  Almighty  spare  thy  old  mother  who  could  not  give 
thee  a  better  understanding  but  thou  must  needs  venture 
to  join  the  company  of  the  tsar ! " 

The  Leap  of  Koulash 

Milosh  awoke  with  a  start,  and  saw  the  tsar  looking  upon 
him  with  his  deep  black  eyes,  and  lo !  his  Koulash  was  in 
the  royal  line  !  Not  a  moment  did  he  pause,  but,  gather- 
ing the  reins  firmly  in  his  hand,  he  spurred  his  steed 

1  This  is  the  popular  appellation  of  Serbians  living  in  Batchka  and 
Banat,  which  provinces  are  now  under  Austro- Hungarian  rule. 

156 


The  Leap  of  Koulash 

sharply.  Koulash  for  one  brief  instant  quivered  from 
head  to  heel,  then  with  a  frantic  bound  he  sprang  into  the 
air  the  height  of  three  lances;  for  the  length  of  four 
lances  sideways  did  he  spring,  and  as  for  the  number  of 
lengths  covered  by  his  leap  onward,  no  one  could  number 
them  !  Fire  issued  from  his  mouth  and  tongues  of  blue 
flame  came  out  from  his  nostrils !  Twelve  thousand  svats 
beheld  with  awe  and  admiration  the  wonderful  leap  of  the 
Bulgar' s  steed,  and  exclaimed  as  one  man :  "  Father  of 
Mercies,  what  a  mighty  wonder  1  "  Then  some  said  to 
others  :  "  O  that  so  good  a  horse  should  be  possessed  by 
such  a  fellow !  We  have  never  before  seen  such  a  marvel." 
Others  said  :  "  There  was,  indeed,  one  charger  like  this  in 
the  stables  of  our  tsar's  son-in-law  and  now  is  possessed  by 
his  nephews  the  brothers  Voinovitchs." 
Among  the  heroes  who  admired  the  steed  were  Voutchd 
of  Dyakovitza,  Yanko  of  Nestopolye"  and  a  youth  from 
Priepolye" ;  these  spake  one  to  another  thus :  "  What  a 
beautiful  steed  that  Bulgar  has  I  There  is  not  its  equal  to 
be  found  in  this  wedding  cavalcade,  not  even  our  own  tsar 
has  one  like  it.  Let  us  fall  behind  and  seek  an  oppor- 
tunity to  deprive  him  of  it." 

As  they  reached  Klissoura  the  three  horsemen  were  far 
behind  the  other  svats,  and  Milosh  was  also  riding  alone 
in  that  place.  Then  the  heroes  came  near  to  him  and 
addressed  him  in  seeming  courtesy  :  "  Listen  to  us,  thou 
youthful  Bulgar !  Wilt  thou  exchange  thy  horse  for  a 
better  one  ?  We  shall  give  thee  also  one  hundred  ducats 
as  a  bargain-gift,  and  moreover  we  shall  give  thee  a 
plough  and  a  pair  of  oxen  that  thou  mayest  plough  thy 
fields  and  feed  thyself  in  peace  for  the  rest  of  thy  days  ! " 
But  Milosh  answered:  "Leave  me  alone,  O  ye  three 
mighty  horsemen  1  I  do  not  wish  for  a  better  horse  than 

157 


Tales  £fc?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

the  one  I  have  already ;  for  did  ye  not  see  that  I  cannot 
keep  even  this  one  quiet  ?  As  to  your  bargain-gift,  what 
should  I  do  with  so  many  ducats  ?  I  do  not  know  how 
to  weigh  them,  neither  am  I  able  to  count  as  high  as  one 
hundred.  What  should  I  do  with  your  plough  and  your 
oxen?  My  father  has  never  used  a  plough  on  his  fields 
and  yet  his  children  have  never  known  hunger !  " 

The  Fight  for  Koulash 

At  this  answer  the  three  horsemen  said  angrily:  "Thou 
hadst  better  consider  our  proposal,  O  haughty  Bulgar,  lest 
we  take  thy  horse  by  force !  "  To  this  menace  Milosh 
answered :  "  Truly,  by  force  men  take  lands  and  cities, 
and  much  more  easily  can  three  men  by  force  take  from 
me  my  steed  !  Therefore  I  prefer  to  exchange  it,  for  I  am 
unable  to  travel  on  foot/'  Saying  this,  Milosh  made  a 
pretence  to  give  up  his  Koulash  peaceably,  and  inserted 
his  right  hand  under  his  coarse  cloak.  They  thought  he 
intended  to  take  off  his  spurs,  but  they  were  greatly 
mistaken,  for  in  a  flash  out  came  his  six-angled  club,  and 
before  they  had  gathered  their  wits  Milosh  gave  Voutch6 
a  gentle  tap  that  tumbled  him  over  and  over  three  times 
in  succession.  Milosh  then  addressed  him  ironically : 
"  May  thy  vineyards  in  thy  peaceful  estate  of  Dyakovitza 
be  as  fertile  as  thou  art  brave !  " 

Seeing  what  had  befallen  his  companion,  Yanko  was  in  full 
flight,  but  it  took  scarce  a  moment  for  Koulash  to  reach  the 
flying  steed,  and  Milosh  let  fall  upon  the  shoulders  of  his 
rider  such  a  blow  that  he,  too,  was  hurled  to  the  ground, 
where  he  turned  over  four  times  ere  finding  anchorage. 
"  Hold  on !  O  Yanko  1  "  scoffed  Milosh,  "  May  the  apple- 
trees  in  thy  peaceful  estate  bear  as  abundant  fruit  as  thou 
art  brave  to-day!" 
158 


The  Fight  for  Koulash 

There  now  only  remained  the  young  man  from  Priepoly6, 
who  by  now  had  fled  to  some  distance.     But  his  horse's 
speed  could  not  avail  against  the  swiftness  of  Koulash, 
and  Milosh  soon  reached  him  and  with  his  warrior  club 
gave  him  a  tap  that  tumbled  him  over  and  over  no  less 
than  seven  times.     Whether  he  could  hear  or  not  Milosh 
called  aloud  :  "  Hold  fast,  O  young  man  from  Priepolye"  ! 
And  when  thou  goest  back  to  thy  Priepolye",  I  give  thee 
leave  to  boast  before  the  fair  maidens  there  of  how  thou 
hast  to-day  taken  away  by  force  a  Bulgar' s  steed  !  " 
This  done,  Milosh  turned  his  charger  and  soon  reached 
the  wedding   cavalcade.     In  due  course  the  procession 
arrived  at  the  white  city  of  Ledyen,  and  the  Serbians  put 
up  their  white  tents  beneath  its  walls.   The  equerries  gave 
the  horses  barley,  but  none  did  they  give  to  Koulash. 
When  Milosh  saw  this  he  took  in  his  left  hand  a  nose-bag 
and  went  from  horse  to  horse,  taking  with  his  right  hand 
from  each  a  handful  until  he  had  filled  the  bag  of  his 
trusty  Koulash.     Next   he  went   to  the  principal  wine- 
keeper  and  prayed  that  he  would  give  him  a  glass  of 
wine.     But  the  keeper  of  the  wine  refused,  saying  :  "  Go 
away,   thou  black   Bulgar !     If  thou  hadst  brought  thy 
rough    Bulgarian   wooden   cup,    I    might    perhaps    have 
poured  in  it  a  draught ;  but  these  golden  cups  are  not  for 
thee !  "      Milosh  turned  on  the  churlish  wine-keeper  a 
dark  look  and  followed  it  with  a  tender  blow  on  his  cheek 
that  sent  three  sound  teeth  into  his  throat.     Then  the 
man,  thoroughly  cowed,  besought  Milosh  thus  :    "  Stay 
thy  hand,  O  mighty  Bulgar !     There  is  wine  in  abundance 
for  thee,  even  if  our  tsar  should  thereby  go  short."     But 
Milosh  paid  no  attention  to  the  fellow,  and  proceeded  to 
help   himself.     Then,   as   his  spirits    mounted   with   the 
generous  wine,  day  dawned  and  the  sun  began  to  shine. 


Tales  SF  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  First  Test 

As  Milosh  stood  drinking  in  the  fresh  beauty  of  the  early 
morning  a  page  of  King  Michael  called  loudly  from  a 
tower  of  the  royal  castle:  "Listen,  O  Serbian  Tsar 
Doushan  !  Behold,  in  the  valley  beneath  the  walls  of  the 
city  is  the  champion  of  our  king !  Thou  must  fight  a 
duel  with  him,  either  thyself  or  by  a  substitute.  If  thou 
dost  not  overcome  him  thou  shalt  not  go  from  this  place 
safely,  neither  shalt  thou  take  back  with  thee  so  much  as 
one  of  thy  wedding-guests  !  Still  less  shalt  thou  take  with 
thee  the  princess  Roksanda  !  "; 

Doushan  heard  the  haughty  message  and  sent  a  strong- 
voiced  crier  among  the  wedding-guests.  Here  and  there 
he  stood  shouting  loudly  the  tsar's  message  :  "  Has  any 
mother  given  birth  to  a  fearless  hero  who  will  take  up  the 
challenge  in  our  tsar's  stead  ?  To  him  who  is  brave 
enough  to  fight  the  champion  the  tsar  will  grant  nobility." 
But  alas !  when  the  crier  had  gone  through  the  camp  no 
hero  had  come  forward  to  claim  the  honour  of  doing 
battle  for  the  tsar. 

When  Doushan  heard  this,  he  struck  his  knee  with  his 
right  hand,  exclaiming :  "  Woe  is  me  !  O  mighty  Creator ! 
If  I  had  now  my  darling  nephews,  the  two  Voinovitchs, 
I  should  not  lack  a  champion."  The  tsar  had  hardly 
ended  his  lamentation  when  Milosh,  leading  his  steed,  ap- 
peared before  the  tsar's  tent.  "  O  my  Lord,  thou  mighty 
tsar! "  said  he,  "have  I  thy  leave  to  fight  this  duel?  J' 
The  tsar  answered :  "  Thou  art  welcome,  O  youthful 
Bulgar!  But,  alas,  there  is  slender  likelihood  that  thou 
canst  overpower  the  haughty  hector  of  the  king.  If, 
however,  thou  dost  succeed,  verily  I  will  ennoble  thee !  " 
Milosh  leaped  to  his  saddle,  and  as  he  turned  his  fiery 
1 60 


The  First  Test 

Koulash  from  the  tsar's  tent,  he  carelessly  threw  his  lance 
on  his  shoulder  with  its  point  turned  backward.  Seeing 
this,  Doushan  called  to  him :  "  Do  not  carry,  O  my  son, 
thy  lance  so !  Turn  the  point  forward,  lest  the  proud 
Venetians  laugh  at  thee ! "  But  Milosh  answered : 
"  Attend,  O  my  tsar,  unto  thine  own  dignity,  and  be  not 
anxious  concerning  mine !  If  need  arise  I  shall  easily  turn 
my  lance  correctly;  if  not,  I  may  just  as  well  bring  it 
back  in  this  wrong  wise  ! " 

As  Milosh  rode  on  through  the  field  of  Ledyen,  the  ladies 
and  maidens  of  Ledyen  looked  upon  him,  and,  laughing, 
they  exclaimed  :  "  Saints  in  heaven  !  a  marvel !  What  a 
substitute  for  a  Serbian  emperor !  The  young  man  has 
even  no  decent  clothes  upon  him !  Be  merry,  thou  hector 
of  the  king,  for  hardly  shalt  thou  need  to  unsheath  thy 
sword!" 

Meantime  Milosh  reached  the  tent  in  which  sat  the  cham- 
pion of  the  Venetian  king.  Before  the  entrance  he  had 
stuck  his  lance  deep  into  the  ground,  and  to  this  he  had 
tethered  his  grey  steed.  Milosh  addressed  the  hector 
thus :  "  Rise  up !  thou  little  white  Venetian  gentleman, 
we  will  fight  together  for  the  honour  of  our  masters!" 
But  the  hector  answered  angrily :  "  Away  with  thee,  thou 
ugly  black  Bulgar !  My  sword  is  not  for  such  as  thee ! 
I  would  not  soil  my  steel  on  such  a  ragged  fellow  I  " 
This  remark  made  Milosh  very  angry,  and  he  ex- 
claimed :  "  Rise  up,  haughty  Venetian !  Thou  hast 
indeed  richer  attire;  I  shall  take  it  from  thee,  and  then 
who  will  have  the  finer  feathers  ?  " 

At  this  the  hector  sprang  to  his  feet  and  mounted  his  grey 
charger,  which  he  caused  to  prance  and  curvet  across  the 
field.  Milosh  stood  quietly  looking  on  until  suddenly  the 
Venetian  fiercely  hurled  his  lance  straight  to  the  breast  of 

L  161 


Tales  ^P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Milosh.  The  wary  Serbian  received  it  on  his  golden- 
headed  club  and  jerked  the  weapon  over  his  head,  break- 
ing it  into  three  pieces  as  he  did  so.  This  sleight-of- 
hand  alarmed  the  hector  and  he  exclaimed  :  |"  Wait  a 
minute,  thou  ugly  black  Bulgar !  My  lance  was  faulty, 
wait  till  I  get  a  better  one !  "  With  this  he  put  spurs  to 
his  steed,  but  Milosh  shouted  after  him :  "  Stop,  thou 
white  Venetian !  Thou  shalt  not  escape  me  1 "  And  with 
this  he  spured  his  Koulash  after  the  cowardly  hector  and 
pursued  close  to  the  gates  of  Ledyen.  Alas  for  the 
fugitive,  the  gates  were  closed !  For  a  moment  the 
hector  paused  irresolute  and  this  moment  was  his  last. 
Milosh  let  loose  his  unerring  lance;  it  whistled  though 
the  morning  air  and  the  hector  was  transfixed  to  the  gate. 
Then  Milosh  alighted  from  his  steed,  struck  off  the 
Venetian's  head  and  threw  it  in  Koulash's  nose-bag. 
Next  he  caught  the  grey  steed  and  rode  with  him  to  the 
tsar.  "  Here,  O  mighty  tsar,"  said  he,  "  is  the  head  of 
the  king's  hector ! " 

Doushan  was  overjoyed  at  his  prowess  and  gave  him 
much  gold.  "  Go,  my  son,"  said  he,  kindly,  "drink  some 
good  wine,  and  presently  I  shall  make  thee  noble ! " 

The  Second  Test 

Milosh  had  hardly  seated  himself  at  his  wine  when  a  page 

again  called  loudly  from  the  royal  castle:    "Behold,  O 

Serbian  tsar !      In  the  meadow  below  thou  mayest   see 

three  fiery  horses  saddled,  on  the  back  of  each  there  is 

fastened  a  flaming  sword  with  point  upward.      If  thou 

wouldst  go  in  peace  from  here  taking  with  thee  the  king's 

daughter,  thou  must  thyself  or  by  deputy  leap  over  these 

flaming  swords." 

Again  the  tsar  sent  a  crier  throughout  his  camp.     "O 

162 


The  Second  Test 

Serbians,"  he  cried,  "  has  not  any  mother  given  birth  to  a 
hero  who  will  venture  to  leap  over  the  three  horses  and 
and  the  flaming  swords  fixed  on  their  backs  ?  " 
Again  he  traversed  the  entire  camp,  taking  care  that  his 
words  should  come  to  the  ear  of  every  svat,  but  again  no 
hero  came  forward  to  offer  himself.  Then  as  the  tsar  was 
anxiously  meditating  on  the  problem  he  looked  up  and, 
lo  !  Milosh  again  stood  before  him.  "  O  glorious  tsar  !  " 
said  he, "  Have  I  thy  permission  to  essay  this  feat  ?  "  And 
the  tsar  readily  answered :  "  Thou  mayest  surely  go,  my 
dear  son  !  But  first  take  off  this  clumsy  Bulgarian  cloak  ! 
(may  God  punish  the  stupid  tailor  who  made  it  so !)  "  But 
Milosh  said  :  "  Sit  in  peace,  O  mighty  tsar,  and  drink  thy 
cool  wine!  Do  not  be  anxious  concerning  my  coarse 
cloak.  If  there  be  a  heart  in  the  hero  his  cloak  will  not 
be  in  his  way :  if  a  sheep  finds  her  wool  too  heavy  for  her 
there  is  no  sheep  in  her  nor  any  wool !  " 
So  saying  he  rode  down  to  the  meadow  of  Ledyen  where 
stood  the  three  steeds  tethered  side  by  side  fiercely  pawing 
the  ground.  The  young  man  dismounted  from  his  Koulash 
and  stationed  him  several  paces  from  the  third  steed,  by 
his  side,  then  patting  Koulash  gently  on  his  proud  neck,  he 
said  :  "  Thou  shalt  stay  here  quietly  until  I  come  again  to 
the  saddle  ! "  He  passed  over  to  the  first  steed  and  went 
on  a  little  distance,  then  turned,  and  dancing  first  on  one 
foot  then  on  the  other,  he  ran  like  a  swift  deer  and, 
leaping  high,  jumped  over  the  three  steeds,  over  the 
flaming  swords,  and  alighted  safely  on  the  saddle  of  his 
own  Koulash.  This  done  he  gathered  the  reins  of  the 
three  chargers  and  rode  with  them  in  triumph  to  the 
Serbian  tsar. 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Third  Test 

Very  soon  the  page  of  the  Venetian  king  came  again  to 
the  tower  of  the  royal  castle  and  proclaimed :  "  Hearken, 
thou  tsar  of  the  Serbs !  Under  the  topmost  tower  of  this 
castle  is  a  slender  lance  whereon  a  golden  apple  is  stuck ; 
twelve  paces  distant  is  set  a  ring:  thou  must  shoot  an 
arrow  through  the  ring  and  transfix  the  apple — thou  or 
thy  deputy  !  " 

This  time  Milosh  would  not  wait  for  the  crier  to 
do  his  errand,  but  straightway  went  to  the  tsar  and 
obtained  his  permission  to  essay  the  task.  Then,  taking 
his  golden  bow  and  arrow,  he  went  to  the  place  indicated, 
fixed  his  arrow  on  the  bow  string,  and  the  shaft  sped 
straight  through  the  ring  to  the  heart  of  the  apple  which 
he  caught  in  his  hand  as  it  fell.  Again  the  tsar  bestowed 
upon  him  golden  ducats  beyond  number. 

The  Fourth  Test 

No  sooner  was  this  wonderful  exploit  completed  than  the 
royal  page  again  proclaimed  from  the  castle  turret: 
"  Behold,  O  tsar  of  the  Serbs  1  The  two  royal  princes  have 
brought  out  in  front  of  the  king's  palace  three  beautiful 
maidens,  all  exactly  alike  and  attired  in  similar  robes. 
The  king  bids  thee  guess  which  of  the  three  is  the  princess 
Roksanda.  Woe  to  thee  if  thou  touchest  other  maiden  but 
Roksanda!  Thou  shalt  not  have  the  princess  for  thy 
bride ;  neither  shalt  thou  go  out  with  thy  head  upon  thy 
shoulders  ;  still  less  shall  thy  guests  leave  this  place  ! " 
When  Doushan  heard  the  message  he  summoned  imme- 
diately his  councillor  Theodor  and  commanded :  "  Go, 
Theodor,  and  tell  which  is  Roksanda!"  But  Theodor 
declared  that  he  had  seen  her  but  for  so  brief  a  time  that 
164 


The  Fourth  Test 

it  would  be  impossible  that  he  should  be  able  to  choose 
between  three  maidens  all  exactly  like  the  one  he  had  seen 
by  the  light  from  his  master's  ring. 

Hearing  this  the  tsar,  in  despair,  struck  his  knee  with  his 
hand,  exclaiming :  "  Alas  !  alas !  After  performing  many 
wonderful  exploits,  must  we  return  without  the  bride  and 
be  the  shame  of  our  people  ?  "  Just  then  Milosh,  who  had 
become  aware  of  the  tsar's  difficulty,  entered  into  the 
imperial  presence  and  spake  thus :  "  Have  I  thy  leave,  O 
tsar,  to  try  to  guess  which  of  the  maidens  is  the  princess 
Roksanda?"  And  the  tsar  answered  joyfully:  "Indeed 
thou  hast,  O  darling  son  of  mine !  But  slender  is  the 
hope  that  thou  shalt  guess  rightly,  since  thou  hast  never 
seen  the  princess  before !  " 

Thereupon  Milosh  answered  :  "  Be  not  fearful,  my  glorious 
Lord!  When  I  was  a  shepherd  in  the  mountain  Shar 
watching  twelve  thousand  sheep,  there  have  been  born  in 
a  night  three  hundred  lambs  and  I  have  been  able  to 
recognize  and  tell  which  sheep  was  dam  to  each  lamb. 
How  much  easier  will  it  be  to  choose  Roksanda  by  her 
resemblance  to  her  brothers !  " 

"  Go,  go  then,  my  darling  son  !  May  God  help  thee  to 
guess  rightly !  If  thou  art  successful  I  shall  grant  thee 
the  whole  land  of  Skender  that  thou  be  its  lord  for  thy 
lifetime!" 

Milosh  went  forth  through  the  wide  field  until  he  came  to 
the  place  where  the  three  maidens  stood  waiting.  With  a 
swift  and  sudden  motion  he  swept  the  coarse  fur-cap  from 
his  head  and  threw  from  off  his  shoulder  his  heavy  cloak, 
revealing  the  scarlet  velvet  and  the  golden  cuirasse  which 
had  been  hidden  underneath.  Truly  he  shone  in  the 
verdant  field  like  the  setting  sun  behind  a  forest !  Milosh 
now  spread  his  cloak  on  the  grass  and  cast  upon  it  rings, 

'65 


Tales  @f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

pearls,  and  precious  stones.  Then  he  unsheathed  his 
finely-tempered  sword  and  addressed  the  three  fair 
maidens  thus:  "Let  her  who  is  the  princess  Roksanda 
gather  her  train  and  sleeves  together  and  collect  these 
rings,  pearls,  and  precious  stones !  If  any  but  Roksanda 
should  dare  to  touch  these  beautiful  things,  I  swear  by 
my  firm  faith  that  I  shall  instantly  cut  off  her  two  hands, 
yea,  even  as  far  as  her  elbows ! " 

The  three  beautiful  maidens  were  terrified,  and  two  of 
them  looked  meaningly  at  their  companion  who  stood  in 
the  middle.  This  was  the  princess,  and  after  a  moment's 
hesitation  Roksanda  gathered  her  silky  train  and  sleeves 
and  began  to  collect  the  rings,  pearls,  and  precious  stones. 
The  two  other  maidens  were  about  to  flee,  but  Milosh  took 
them  gently  by  their  hands  and  escorted  all  three  to  the 
presence  of  the  tsar,  to  whom  he  presented  princess  Rok- 
sanda together  with  one  of  her  companions  who  might  be 
her  lady-in-waiting ;  the  third  maiden,  however,  he  retained 
for  himself.  The  tsar  kissed  Milosh  between  his  fiery  eyes, 
still  not  knowing  who  he  was  or  whence  he  came. 

The  Departure  of  the  Serbians 

The  masters  of  the  ceremonies  now  called  aloud :  "  Get 
ready,  all  ye  svats!  It  is  high  time  we  should  hurry 
homeward !  "  And  the  svats  made  ready  for  the  journey, 
and  soon  they  set  out,  taking  with  them  the  beautiful 
princess  Roksanda. 

As  they  departed  from  the  gates  of  the  city,  Milosh 
approached  the  tsar  and  said  :  "  O  my  lord,  thou  Serbian 
Tsar  Doushan,  listen  to  me !  There  is  in  the  city  of 
Ledyen  a  terrible  hero  named  Balatchko  the  Voivode; 
I  know  him  and  he  knows  me.  Balatchko  has  three 
heads :  from  one  of  them  issues  a  blue  flame,  from 
166 


Two  of  them  looked  meaningly  at  their  compajiioji  166 


The  Departure  of  the  Serbians 

another  rushes  a  freezing  wind.  Woe  to  him  against 
whom  these  are  directed  !  But  if  a  hero  withstands  them 
it  is  not  difficult  to  slay  Balatchko  when  his  wind  and 
flame  have  left  him.  The  Venetian  king  has  been 
training  him  these  seven  years,  for  it  has  been  his  inten- 
tion to  make  use  of  him  to  annihilate  the  royal  wedding- 
party  and  to  i rescue  princess  Roksanda,  supposing  that 
thou  shouldst  succeed  in  obtaining  possession  of  her. 
Now  it  is  certain  that  he  will  send  him  to  pursue  us.  Go 
thou  thy  way  and  I  will  remain  behind  with  three  hundred 
well-chosen  heroes,  to  stop  the  monster  from  pursuing  thee." 
Therefore,  while  the  svats  went  on  with  the  beautiful  Prin- 
cess Roksanda,  Milosh,  with  his  three  hundred  comrades, 
remained  in  the  verdant  forest. 

The  svats  had  hardly  struck  their  tents  when  King 
Michael  summoned  Voivode  Balatchko.  "  O  Balatchko, 
my  trusty  servant,"  said  he,  "canst  thou  rely  upon  thy 
valour  and  go  out  against  the  tsar's  svats  to  bring  back 
my  daughter  Roksanda  ?  " 

And  Balatchko  replied :  "  My  lord,  thou  King  of  Ledyen ! 
First  tell  me,  who  was  that  valorous  hero  who  achieved 
the  great  feats  to  which  thou  didst  challenge  the  Serbian 
tsar  ?  "  The  king  of  Ledyen  answered  him :  "  O  Balatchko, 
our  trusty  servant !  He  is  no  hero ;  he  is  only  a  youthful 
black  Bulgarian."  And  Balatchko  replied  :  "  Nay,  thou 
art  mistaken  ;  no  black  Bulgar  is  he.  I  know  him  well ; 
he  is  the  Prince  Milosh  Voinovitch  himself,  whom  not 
even  the  Serbian  tsar  was  able  to  recognize  through  his 
shepherd's  disguise.  Truly  he  is  no  ordinary  hero,  and 
not  to  be  lightly  esteemed  by  any  warrior,  however  fear- 
less." Nevertheless  the  king  insisted  :  "  Go  thou  against 
the  svats,  O  Voivode  Balatchko !  If  thou  dost  regain  the 
princess,  I  will  give  her  to  thee  for  wife  1  " 


Tales  ^1?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Contest  with  Balatchko 

Hearing  this  promise,  Balatchko  saddled  his  mare  Bedevia 
and  went  in  pursuit  of  the  svats,  accompanied  by  six 
hundred  Venetian  cuirassiers.  When  they  reached  the 
forest  they  saw  Koulash  standing  in  the  middle  of  the 
main  road  and  Milosh  on  foot  behind  him.  Balatchko 
addressed  the  prince,  saying  :  "  O  Milosh,  evidently  thou 
hast  waited  for  me !  "  With  this  he  loosed  his  blue  flame, 
which,  however,  only  singed  Milosh's  furs;  whereupon, 
seeing  that  he  had  not  greatly  harmed  the  hero,  he 
breathed  his  freezing  wind  upon  him.  Koulash  tumbled 
over  and  over  in  the  dust  three  times,  but  the  wind  did 
not  affect  his  master.  Exclaiming  :  "  There  is  something 
thou  didst  not  expect !  "  Milosh  hurled  his  six-cornered 
mace  and  it  gave  Balatchko  a  gentle  knock  that  tumbled 
him  out  of  his  saddle.  Then  Milosh  threw  his  lance  and 
transfixed  the  fellow  to  the  ground,  after  which  he  cut  off 
all  three  of  his  heads  and  threw  them  in  Koulash's  bag. 
This  done,  he  mounted  his  steed  and  led  his  three  hundred 
Serbians  against  the  Venetian  cuirassiers  and  cleft  three 
hundred  heads,  the  survivors  being  put  to  flight.  He 
then  hurried  on  and  soon  came  up  with  the  tsar,  at  whose 
feet  he  cast  the  three  grim  heads  of  Balatchko.  The  tsar 
rejoiced  to  hear  of  his  victory  and  gave  him  one  thousand 
ducats ;  then  the  procession  resumed  its  march  to  Prisrend. 
In  the  middle  of  the  plain  Kossovo,  Milosh's  way  to  the 
fortress  of  Voutchitrn  lay  to  the  right,  and  he  came  to  the 
tsar  to  take  leave  of  him.  "  May  God  be  with  thee,  my 
dear  uncle ! "  said  he.  Only  then  did  the  tsar  come  to 
know  that  the  seeming  Bulgarian  was  none  else  than  his 
nephew  Prince  Milosh  Voinovitch!  Overwhelmed  with 
joy  he  exclaimed :  "  Is  it  thou,  my  dear  Milosh  ?  Is  it 
168 


The  Contest  with  Balatchko 

thou,  my  dearest  nephew?     Happy  is  the  mother  who 
gave  thee  birth  and  happy  the  uncle  who  has  such  a  valiant 
nephew !     Why  didst  thou  not  reveal  thyself  before  ?  verily 
I  should  not  have  excluded  thee  from  my  company." 
Woe  to  him  who  overlooks  his  own  relatives ! 


169 


CHAPTER  IX  :  TSAR  LAZARUS 
AND  THE  TSARINA  MILITZA 

The  Tsarina's  Forebodings 

AS   they   sat   at   supper   together   one    evening    the 
Tsarina  Militza  spoke  thus  unto  Tsar  Lazarus  : 
"  O  Lazarus,  thou  Serbian  Golden  Crown  1    Thou 
art    to    go   to-morrow    to    the    battlefield    of    Kossovo 
together  with  thy  dukes  and  servants,  but,  alas  !  thou  wilt 
leave   in   the   palace   none   who   can    carry  to    thee  my 
missives   and  bring  thine  from   Kossovo  to  me.     Thou 
takest   also  with   thee   my  nine   brothers   Yougovitchs ; 
I  pray  thee,  leave  me  at  least  one  of  my  brothers   that 
I  may  swear1  by  him  ! " 

And  the  tsar  returned  answer :  "  O  my  lady,  thou  Tsarina 
Militza!  Which  one  of  thy  brothers  wouldst  thou  best 
like  me  to  leave  at  home."  Thereupon  the  tsaritza  said: 
"  Leave  me,  I  pray,  Boshko  Yougovitch !  " 
To  this  the  tsar  assented  :  "  O  my  lady,  Tsarina  Militza ! 
When  the  morrow  dawns  and  the  sun  begins  to  rise 
and  the  gates  of  the  fortress  are  opened,  thou  mayest 
walk  out  to  the  main  gate  whence  the  whole  army  will 
defile  with  the  ensigns — all  cavaliers  with  warrior-lances, 
headed  by  Boshko  Yougovitch,  who  will  be  carrying  the 
flag  adorned  with  a  golden  cross.  Greet  him  in  my  name 
and  tell  him  that  I  give  him  leave  to  remain  with  thee  at 
our  white  castle  and  to  yield  his  flag  to  whomsoever 
he  may  choose ! " 

Accordingly,  when  the  morrow  dawned  and  the  sun  shone, 
the  fortress-gates  opened  and  Tsarina  Militza  appeared 

1  The  love  of  a  sister  for  her  brother  in  Serbia  is  proverbial.  Entire 
ballads  are  devoted  to  beautiful  examples  of  such  love.  There  is  no 
greater  and  more  solemn  oath  for  a  sister  in  Serbia  than  that  sworn  by 
the  name  of  her  brother. 

170 


The  Tsarina's  Forebodings 

at  the  main  gate  of  the  city,  and  lo  1  the  mighty  army  was 
preparing  to  defile  with,  in  the  van,  the  glorious  cavaliers 
headed  by  Boshko  Yougovitch.  Boshko  was  in  the  act  of 
mounting  his  brown  horse,  a  splendid  creature,  capari- 
soned with  golden  trappings;  the  dropping  folds  of  the 
flag  fell  upon  his  shoulders  and  over  his  steed's  back. 
Upon  the  flag  pole  was  fixed  a  golden  apple  and  from  the 
great  cross  hung  golden  thustles  which  were  knocking 
gently  against  Boshko's  shoulders. 

Tsarina  Militza  approached  her  brother  and  flinging  her 
tender  arms  around  his  neck  addressed  him  in  her  sweet 
voice  thus :  "  O  my  darling  brother,  our  tsar  has  presented 
thee  to  me,  and  desires  that  thou  shalt  not  go  to  Kossovo 
in  the  war.  His  charge  to  thee  is  :  that  thou  shalt  give  thy 
flag  to  whom  thou  choosest  and  remain  at  Krousharatz 
that  I  may  have  a  brother  to  swear  by  1  " 
But  Boshko  Yougovitch  answered  :  "  Go  back,  O  sister 
dear,  to  thy  white  castle !  I  would  not  return,  neither 
would  I  give  up  from  my  hands  this  flag  for  the  price  of 
Kroushevatz.1  How  could  I  suffer  my  comrades  to  say: 
'  Look  at  the  coward  Boshko  Yougovitch !  He  dares  not 
go  to  Kossovo,  to  shed  his  blood  in  the  cause  of  the  Holy 
Cross  and  his  orthodox  faith  ! '  "  Saying  this  he  disen- 
gaged himself  from  his  sister's  embraces  and  leapt  into 
his  saddle. 

Lo  1  there  now  comes  the  aged  Youg-Bogdan  at  the  head 
of  a  line  of  his  seven  other  sons  !  The  tsarina  endea- 
voured to  stop  each  one  in  turn,  but  in  vain.  Voin 
Yougovitch,  the  eighth  brother,  was  last  in  the  line;  he 
like  the  rest  of  his  brothers  would  not  listen,  and  as  he 

1  Kroushavatz  was  the  capital  of  the  vast  Serbian  empire  during  the 
reign  of  Tsar  Lazarus  Hrebelianovitch  at  the  time  of  the  famous  battle 
of  Kossovo  (A.D.  1389). 

171 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

passed  on,  the  poor  tsarina  fell  down  at  the  feet  of  the 
horses  and  swooned.  The  glorious  Lazarus  saw  his 
loving  consort  fall,  and  understanding  the  cause  of  her 
grief,  he  shed  tears.  Glancing  quickly  right  and  left  he 
beheld  Golouban,  his  trusty  servant,  and  called  to  him : 
"  O  Golouban,  my  faithful  servant !  Dismount  from  thy 
charger,  and  take  the  tsarina  gently  in  thy  heroic  arms 
to  her  slender  tower.  God  and  I  will  hold  thee  excused 
from  service  in  the  war,  do  thou  remain  at  our  white 
castle  near  the  tsarina  ! " 

Hearing  this  Golouban  turned  pale,  and  tears  poured 
down  his  cheeks  as  he  dismounted  from  his  Laboud.1  He 
took  the  tsarina  in  his  arms  and  carried  her  into  her 
slender  high  tower  as  the  tsar  had  commanded  ;  but  this 
done  he  could  not  resist  the  desire  of  his  heart  to  go  to 
Kossovo,  so  he  hurried  back  to  his  charger  and  spurred 
him  swiftly  on  after  his  comrades. 

News  of  Battle 

Next   day,    when   morning  dawned,   lo!    two  ill-omened 

ravens  from  the  battlefield  of  Kossovo  alighted  upon  the 

white  tower  of  the  glorious  Tsar  Lazarus.     One  spake  to 

the  other :  "  Is  this  the  home  of  the  famed  prince,  Lazarus  ? 

Is  there  no  living  soul  in  the  castle  ?  " 

One  only  within  the  castle  heard  this.     Tsarina  Militza 

walked  out  upon  the  balcony  of  her  tower  and  besought 

the  two  black  ravens  thus  :  "  For  the  sake  of  all  that  ye 

hold  dear,  O  ye  two  dark  ravens  !     Whence  do  ye  come? 

Do  ye  not  fly  from  the  field  of  Kossovo?     Saw  ye  there 

two  mighty  armies  ?    O  tell  me  !    Have  they  met  together  ? 

Which  of  them  is  victorious  ?  " 

Thereupon  the  two  ravens  answered  :  "  Evil  overtake  us 

1  Laboud  means  white  swkn  in  Serbian. 

172 


The  Trusty  Miloutin 

if  we  do  not  speak  truth  to  thee,  O  fair  empress  Militza ! 
We  fly  indeed  from  the  level  plain  of  Kossovo !  Yea ! 
There  we  did  see  two  mighty  armies;  there  did  we  see 
two  tsars  perish  I1  Of  the  Turkish  horde  but  few  remain 
in  life;  of  the  Serbs,  those  who  live  are  covered  with 
wounds  and  blood !  " 

The  Trusty  Miloutin 

The  ravens  had  hardly  spoken  when  the  tsarina  perceived 

a  horseman  approaching  whom  she  recognized.     His  left 

arm   hung   helpless ;    he   was   covered    with    seventeen 

wounds ;  blood  ran  over  his  steed.     The  tsarina  called  to 

him  in  accents  of  terror :  "  Alas,  alas !     Is  it  thou,  my 

trusty  Miloutin  ?     Hast  thou  then  betrayed  thy  tsar  on 

Kossovo  the  level  field?" 

But  Miloutin  answered  slowly  and  with  pain :  "  Help  me, 

0  my  lady,  to  alight  from  my  brave  steed  !     Bathe  my 
face  with  cooling  water  and  refresh  me  with  rosy  wine,  for 
heavy  wounds  have  overwhelmed  me ! " 

And  the  tsarina  went  to  him  and  helped  him  to  dismount 
from  his  bloody  steed,  bathed  his  face  with  some  cooling 
water  and  brought  wine  unto  his  dried  lips.  When  she 
had  thus  restored  him  somewhat,  she  spake  again  :  "  What 
dreadful  thing  has  happened,  O  thou  trusty  servant,  in 
Kossovo  that  level  field?  Where  perished  the  glorious 
Prince  Lazarus  ?  Where  perished  the  aged  Youg  Bogdan  ? 
Where  perished  the  nine  Yougovitchs  ?  Where  perished 
Voivode  Milosh?  Where  perished  Vouk  Brankovitch? 
Where  perished  Ban  Strahiyna  ?  " 
Thereat  the  warrior  groaned  heavily :  "  All  remain  on 

1  The  Turkish  sultan,  Amourath  I,  perished  by  the  hand  of  Voivode 
Milosh.     That  great  Serbian  hero  stabbed  him  with  his  secret  poniard 
when  conducted  as  an  alleged  traitor  to  the  sultan's  presence. 

173 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Kossovo,  O  my  lady !  Where  the  glorious  Prince  Lazarus 
perished,  there  were  broken  many,  many  lances,  both 
Turkish  and  Serbian,  but  more  Serbian  than  Turkish : 
defending,  O  my  lady,  their  beloved  lord,  their  lord  the 
glorious  Prince  Lazarus.  And  thy  father,  O  lady,  perished 
in  the  first  onset.  Thy  nine  brothers  perished  too — faith- 
ful did  they  abide  to  one  another.  Till  all  perished,  there 
mightest  thou  have  seen  the  valiant  Boshko,  his  flag 
fluttering  in  the  breeze  as  he  rushed  hither  and  thither, 
scattering  the  Turks  like  a  falcon  amongst  timid  doves. 
There,  by  the  streamlet  Sitnitza,  where  blood  was  running 
above  a  hero's  knees,  perished  Ban  Strahiyna. 
"  But  our  heroes  did  not  die  alone  !  Twelve  thousand 
Turks  lie  prone  upon  the  plain.  Sultan  Mourat1  was 
slain  by  Voivode  Milosh.  May  God  forgive  all  his  sins  ! 
The  hero  has  bequeathed  to  the  Serbian  race  a  memory  of 
noble  deeds  that  shall  be  recounted  by  the  bards  as  long 
as  men  live  and  Kossovo  stays.  As  for  the  traitor  Vouk, 
accursed  be  she  who  gave  him  birth !  He  betrayed  our 
tsar  on  Kossovo,  leading  astray,  O  my  lady!  twelve 
thousand  fierce  cuirassiers  of  our  people !  Accursed  for 
ever  be  his  progeny !  " 

Historical  Note 

The  bards  invariably  throw  all  responsibility  for  the  great 
calamity  to  the  Serbian  arms,  inflicted  upon  them  in  that 
celebrated  battle  on  Kossovo,  upon  Vouk  Brankovitch, 
who  was  one  of  the  sons-in-law  of  Tsar  Lazarus.  Some 
of  our  historians  are  convinced  that  there  is  a  great  deal 
of  truth  in  this  licencia  poetica,  and  they  point  to  the  fact 
that  the  mediaeval  history  of  Serbia  contains  many  in- 
stances of  such  malcontents  as  Vouk  Brankovitch  who, 
1  Corrupted  form  of  Amourad  or  Amourath. 
174 


Historical  Note 

seduced  by  fair  promises  from  cunning  Turkish  statesmen, 
went  to  Stamboul  to  become  useful  tools  in  the  hands  of 
Ottoman  generals,  who  were  thereby  aided  in  their 
conquests  of  the  Slavs  of  the  Balkans.  But  the  truth  is 
that  our  calamity  was  due  mainly  to  the  disobedience  of 
the  Serbian  Lords  who  ruled  almost  independently  over 
Bosnia  and  Herzegovina.  These  lords  failed  to  comply 
with  Tsar  Lazarus'  mobilisation  proclamation,  and  it  was 
due  to  this  that  the  Serbian  army  was  considerably 
smaller  than  the  Turkish.  . 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  defeat  which  the  Serbians  sustained 
in  that  memorable  battle  left  a  very  deep  impression 
upon  the  nation,  and  Serbians  have  believed  ever  since 
that  it  was  solely  due  to  this  disaster  that  the  Serbian 
empire  was  crushed  by  the  Turk.  This  feeling  persisted 
in  the  hearts  of  the  oppressed  Serbians  through  four 
centuries  and  was  manifested  in  repeated  insurrections 
against  their  oppressors  in  the  beginning  of  the  last 
century  under  the  leadership  of  two  Serbian  princes, 
George  Petrovitch,  grandfather  of  the  present  King 
Peter  I  Karageorgevitch,  in  the  year  1804,  and  Milosh 
Obrenovitch  in  1815.  But  another  century  had  to  pass 
ere  the  opportunity  came  for  a  decisive  battle  by  which 
satisfaction  could  be  obtained  for  the  battle  on  Kossovo. 
This  opportunity  offered  on  the  famous  field  of  Kou- 
manovo  in  1913,  where  perished  more  Turks  than  did 
Serbians  five  centuries  ago.  Only  then  was  Serbia  happy  ! 
The  present  writer  went  through  the  Balkan  Campaigns  of 
1912-1913,  and  was  a  witness  of  glorious  deeds  and  feats 
of  arms  by  his  countrymen  which,  relatively  speaking,  by 
no  means  yield  to  those  of  their  mediaeval  ancestors  led 
by  Milosh  Obilitch,  Marko  Kralyevitch,  Ban  Strahiyna, 
and  others.  It  was  an  imposing  sight  when  the  victorious 

175 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

o 

Serbian  army  returned  to  Belgrade  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  war.  The  soldiers  entered  through  numberless 
triumphal  gates,  over  some  of  which  were  huge  in- 
scriptions :  "  For  Kossovo :  Koumanovo "  and  "  For 
Slivnitza :  Bregalnitza." 

The  untiring  Serbian  bards  have  now  turned  their 
attention  to  the  exploits  of  modern  heroes  at  Monastir, 
Koumanovo,  Perlep  (Prilip),  Scutari  (Skadar),  &c.,  and 
they  will  thus  immortalize  for  the  delight  of  future 
generations  the  final  triumph  of  the  Serb  over  the 
oppressor  of  his  race,  from  whom  he  has  wrested  the 
empire  of  his  valiant  ancestors — if  not  in  its  entirety  as 
under  the  rule  of  Tsar  Doushan  the  Powerful,  yet  as  it 
was  in  extent  in  the  time  of  Tsar  Lazarus. 
What  Tsar  Lazarus  lost,  therefore,  has  now  been  virtually 
regained  by  his  brave  countrymen  under  the  wise  leader- 
ship of  our  present  King  Peter  I. 


CHAPTER  X  :  THE  CAPTIVITY 
AND  MARRIAGE  OF  STEPH 
YAKSHITCH  i 

The  Veelds  Warning 

DAWN  had  not  appeared,  neither  had  Danitza 2  yet 
shown  her  face  when  from  the  heights  of  the 
mountain  Avala  by  Belgrade  a  veela  called 
aloud  upon  Demitrius  and  Stephan,  the  two  brothers 
Yakshitchs:  "O  ye  brothers  Yakshitchs  !  Ill  fate  hath 
this  morn  brought  to  ye !  See  ye  not  that  the  mighty 
Turk  has  made  ready  to  assail  the  glorious  town  Belgrade 
from  three  sides  ?  Hearken  !  I  will  tell  ye  the  pashas  by 
name.  The  Vizier  of  Tyoopria  is  come  with  forty  thou- 
sand troops  ;  the  Pasha  of  Vidin  leads  an  army  of  thirty 
thousand ;  and  the  Pasha  of  Novi  Bazar  has  brought  with 
him  twenty  thousand  fierce  Yanissaries  !  If  ye  will  not 
believe,  climb  ye  to  the  top  of  your  towers  and  look  over 
upon  the  broad  field  of  Belgrade  1  " 

Hearing  this  adjuration  Demitrius  looked  out,  and  saw, 
indeed,  all  that  the  veela  had  said.  If  rain  had  fallen 
from  the  skies,  no  drop  would  have  fallen  on  the  ground, 
so  thick  was  the  multitude  of  Turks  and  their  horses ! 
He  was  seized  with  terror  at  the  sight,  and,  without 
pausing  a  moment,  he  ran  to  his  stable,  saddled  his  steed, 

1  A  ballad  of  Montenegro,  county  Byelopavlitch. 

2  Danitza  is   the   Morning   Star.      The   Serbian   bards    often    begin 
their  poems  with  a  reference  to  the  dawn  and   "  Danitza."     Several 
well-known  ballads  begin  thus :   "The  Moon  scolds  the  star  Danitza: 
Where  hast  thou  been?     Wherefore  hast  thou  wasted  much  time?" 
And  Danitza  in  order  to  exonerate  herself,  invariably  relates  to  the 
Moon  something  she  has  seen  in  the  night  during  her  absence ;  usually 
some  wrongful  deed  by  a  Turk  or  dishonourable  conduct  on  the  part 
of  a  young  man  to  his  brother  or  other  relatives,  such  as  an  unjust 
division  of  patrimony,  &c. 

M  177 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

and,  unlocking  the  main  gates  of  the  fortress,  rushed  out, 
leaving  the  keys  in  the  gate.  He  did  not  slacken  rein 
until  he  reached  a  great  forest,  and  by  this  time  the  sun 
was  already  high  in  the  heavens.  Dismounting  from  the 
saddle  he  seated  himself  on  the  banks  of  the  cooling  river 
Yahorika,  and  soliloquized  thus :  "  Alas,  Demitrius, 
mayst  thou  perish !  To  whose  care  hast  thou  left  thy 
only  brother  Stephan?" 

Overcome  with  remorse  for  his  cowardice  he  would  have 
returned  to  Belgrade,  but  it  was  too  late.  The  Turks  had 
already  entered  the  city  through  the  open  gates.  There 
was  none  to  oppose  them,  and  after  indulging  in  outrage 
and  pillage  they  had  carried  away  many  captives,  among 
whom  was  Stephan  Yakshitch.  Him  they  did  not  behead 
because  of  his  unusual  beauty,  and  because  they  were  well 
acquainted  with  his  heroism,  the  fame  of  which  was 
known  far  and  near.  They  brought  Stephan  to  the 
presence  of  the  Vizier  of  Tyoopria,  who  was  so  pleased  to 
see  him  that  he  ordered  his  hands  to  be  freed,  and  gave 
him  back  his  horse  and  arms.  He  also  held  a  great  feast 
and  accompanied  it  with  the  firing  of  innumerable  cannon. 
After  this  the  Vizier  of  Tyoopria  returned  with  the  whole 
army  in  triumph  to  Stamboul,  where  he  brought  his  dis- 
tinguished prisoner  into  the  sultan's  presence. 

Stephan  and  the  Sultan 

The  mighty  Padishah  was  seated  on  his  sidjadeV  and  after 
presenting  Stephan  the  vizier  took  a  seat  near  by.  Stephan 
made  a  profound  obeisance  and  kissed  the  slipper  and  the 
knee  of  the  sultan.  The  sultan  then  invited  him  to  a  seat 
near  to  him  and  spake  thus :  "  O  heroic  Stephan  Yak- 
shitch !  If  thou  wilt  become  a  Turk !  (may  Allah  favour 
1  Sidjadt,  a  divan. 

178 


Stephan  at  Tyoopria 

thee  !)  I  will  make  thee  my  Grand  Vizier  of  Bosnia  in  the 
City  of  Travnik  !  Thou  shalt  have  seven  other  viziers  to 
obey  thy  orders;  I  will  give  thee  in  marriage  my  only 
daughter,  and  will  care  for  thee  as  for  my  own  son !  " 
To  this  Stephan  answered  firmly :  "  O  Great  Padishah ! 
Thou  mighty  ruler  of  the  world !  I  shall  never  turn  Turk 
and  renounce  the  Holy  Cross.  Yea,  even  if  thou  offered 
me  thy  own  throne  !  I  am  ready  to  give  my  life  for  the 
holy  Christian  faith !  " 

At  these  bold  words  the  sultan  was  very  angry,  and  gave 
orders  that  Stephan  should  be  executed.  But  Stephan 
had  a  good  friend  in  the  Vizier  of  Tyoopria,  who  at  this 
juncture  prayed  the  sultan  not  to  give  way  to  his  wrath. 
"Do  not,  in  the  name  of  Allah,  O  my  Padishah,"  said 
he,  "  have  so  valorous  a  young  man  beheaded !  I  have 
given  him  my  word  of  honour  that  thou,  O  Sultan,  will 
not  take  his  life !  Deliver  him  to  me  for  ransom  !  I 
will  give  thee  as  many  golden  ducats  as  he  weighs  on  thy 
balance,  and  will  keep  him  safely  in  my  castle  at  Tyoopria 
where,  I  give  thee  my  firm  faith,  I  will  make  him  love  the 
creed  of  Mohammed." 

The  sultan  graciously  acceded  to  his  vizier's  request  and 
Stephan  departed  with  the  Turk  to  his  province. 

Stephan  at  Tyoopria 

When  the  vizier  came  to  Tyoopria  he  invited  Stephan  to 
participate  in  all  the  luxury  of  his  castle,  and  during  one 
whole  year  he  endeavoured  by  courtesy  and  kindness 
to  convert  the  Serbian  prince  to  the  Mussulman  faith. 
Then,  as  all  his  efforts  had  failed,  he  called  together  his 
hodjas1  and  kadis,2  as  well  as  all  the  noblemen  of  his 


a,)  a  Mussulman  priest. 
2  Kadi,  an  Ottoman  judge. 


179 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

district,  and  these  men  spoke  to  Stephan  thus :  "  O 
Stephan,  the  vizier  has  ordered  us  to  convert  thee  unto 
the  true  faith ;  if  thou  wilt  submit  to  us  in  this  thing  he 
will  give  thee  in  marriage  his  only  daughter — she  is  more 
beautiful  than  the  white  veela  herself — and  he  will  have 
thee  to  be  appointed  the  Grand  Vizier  of  Novi  Bazar. 
But  if  thou  refused  to  become  a  Turk,  his  djelat1  will 
cleave  thy  head  asunder." 

Thereupon  Stephan  answered  :  "I  thank  ye,  venerable 
hodgas  and  kadis  !  But  I  would  rather  lose  my  life  for 
the  sake  of  our  holy  faith  and  the  law  of  our  Lord  Jhesu, 
than  live  to  become  a  Turk  !  " 

The  vizier  turned  sadly  away  and  ordered  his  djelat  to 
behead  Prince  Stephan.  But  again  Stephan's  good  for- 
tune befriended  him.  The  Grand  Vizier  of  Novi  Bazar 
came  to  the  Vizier  of  Tyoopria  and  implored  him  not 
to  behead  the  young  man.  "  Dost  thou  not  remember," 
said  he,  "  that  thou  didst  promise  that  his  life  should  not 
be  taken  from  him?  'Twere  better  to  deliver  him  to 
me  on  ransom  :  I  will  give  twice  his  weight  in  golden 
ducats,  and  I  declare  solemnly  that  when  I  have  him  in 
my  province  of  Novi  Bazar,  I  shall  not  fail  to  induce  him 
to  embrace  Islam !  " 

The  Vizier  of  Tyoopria  agreed  to  his  friend's  offer  and 
Stephan  was  thus  a  second  time  delivered  from  death. 

Stephan  at  Novi  Bazar 

Arriving  at  Novi  Bazar  the  vizier  summoned  his  servant 
Hoossein.  "  Listen,  Hoossein,  my  trusty  servant ! "  said 
he.  "  Take  thou  this  dearly  bought  prisoner,  and  conduct 
him  through  the  donjons,  until  thou  comest  to  the 
twelfth;  there  leave  him  and  shut  the  twelve  doors 
1  Djela^  an  executioner. 
1 80 


Stephan  &  the  Vizier's  Daughter 

r  o 

behind  thee  carefully,  so  that  he  shall  see  neither  the  sun 
nor  the  moon.  Methinks  he  will  soon  be  willing  to  adopt 
our  Mussulman  faith  1  " 

Hoossein   did   as  he  was  commanded,  and  Stephan  re- 
mained a  prisoner  for  half  a  year,  when  the  vizier  took 
pity  on  him.     Summoning  his  only  daughter  Haykoona, 
he  said  to  her :    "  My  darling  daughter,  my  pure  gold ! 
Hearken  to  thy  father's  words !      Go  back  to  thy  tower, 
open  thy  golden  cupboards,  and  adorn  thyself  with   thy 
richest  apparel.     Put  on  thy  prettiest  dress  of  rosy  silk 
adorned  with  velvet  ribbons  and  golden  threads,  and  cover 
all  with  thy  gold-woven  cloak.     In  thy  right  hand  take  a 
golden  apple  and  under  thy  arm  take  this  bottle ;  in  it  is 
a  beverage  prepared  from  forest  plants  and  flowerets.     It 
is  called  '  water  of  oblivion ' ;    I  have  been  told  that  he 
who  washes  his  face  with  it  and  drinks  of  it  must  hate  his 
relatives  and  his  religion.     Take  ye  these  to  the  lowest 
serais    and    open    the    twelve    doors,    closing   carefully 
each  of  them  in  turn   after   thee.     When   thou   comest 
to  Prince  Stephan  give  him  this  wonderful  bottle.     He 
will  surely  bathe  his  face  with  its  contents  and  drink: 
then  he  will  forget  his  faith,  embrace  Islam  and  marry 
thee!" 

The  Turkish  maiden  could  have  wished  for  no  greater 
good  fortune,  for  ever  since  she  first  saw  the  handsome 
Serbian  prince  she  had  felt  strange  pains.  In  her  dreams 
she  saw  nobody  but  him,  and  in  the  daytime  she  was 
consumed  with  fevers. 

Stephan  and  the  Vizier  s  Daughter 
Therefore    she    complied    with   her   father's    wish   with 
alacrity,  and  when  she  reached  Stephan  she  greeted  him 
tenderly :  "  Hail,  O  Serbian  Hero !     May  God  be  with 

181 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

thee  !  "  And  the  chivalrous  prince  returned  the  greeting : 
"  May  God  help  thee,  O  peerless  Haykoona !  " 
The  beautiful  maiden  then  said  :  "  O  Prince  Stephan,  I 
value  thee  more  than  my  black  eyes !  I  sorrow  to  see  thy 
face  thus  darkened  and  thy  life  so  miserable  in  the  prison- 
donjons  of  my  father.  Take  this  bottle  of  cooling  water; 
bathe  thy  heroic  visage  with  the  liquid  and  drink  a  little 
of  it!" 

The  hero  took  the  bottle  from  those  beauteous  hands  ;  but 
he  was  wise  !  Without  hesitation  he  shattered  it  against 
the  stony  wall,  taking  great  care  that  not  a  drop  of  the 
liquid  should  besprinkle  him.  The  Turkish  maiden 
flushed  with  anger,  but  a  moment  later  she  composed  her- 
self, and  casting  upon  the  prince  a  tender  glance,  she  said 
to  him  sweetly :  "  Do,  I  pray  thee,  become  a  Turk  and 
marry  me !  I  love  thee  more  than  my  black  eyes/' 
But  Stephan  answered :  "  I  beseech  thee,  in  thy  Allah's 
name,  speak  not  so,  O  Princess  Haykoona.  I  shall  never 
turn  Turk  and  forget  my  Christian  faith  !  Yea,  I  am 
ready  always  to  give  my  life  for  it !  " 
The  beauteous  lady  turned  aside  impatiently,  but  her 
anger  soon  passed,  and  again  looking  tenderly  at  the 
young  prince,  she  exclaimed  with  sudden  passion,  "  Kiss 
me,  O  my  beloved  ! " 

But  Stephan  was  proof  against  temptation,  and  he 
answered  sternly :  "  O  Turkish  lady,  may  misfortune 
attend  thee !  Thou  knowest  that  my  faith  forbids  that  a 
Christian  should  kiss  a  Turk!  The  skies  above  would 
burst  asunder  and  stones  would  fall  upon  our  heads !  " 
The  vizier's  daughter  really  loved  the  prince,  and  although 
it  was  not  easy  for  her  haughty  spirit  to  brook  such  a 
refusal  of  her  advances,  she  presently  spake  again  in  this 
wise  :  "  O  Prince  Stephan,  truly  I  love  thee  more  than  my 
182 


Stephan  &  the  Vizier's  Daughter 

own  eyes  I  I  would  not  for  the  entire  wealth  of  this 
world  be  baptized,  but  if  thou  wilt  promise  me  thy  love 
and  wilt  marry  me  I  will  even  embrace  the  Christian 
faith !  Let  us  take  much  gold  from  my  father's  treasury 
and  flee  together  to  thy  glorious  Belgrade." 
Hearing  this,  the  young  prince  sprang  joyfully  to  his 
feet  and  opened  his  arms  to  the  beauteous  maiden.  He 
was  by  no  means  insensible  to  her  charms,  and  he 
exclaimed  with  fervour  :  "  Thou  hast  my  princely  promise 
that  I  shall  love  thee  and  be  faithful  to  thee — as  it  is  the 
duty  of  a  true  knight  so  to  be.  May  the  Lord  Jhesu  in 
Heaven  be  my  witness  ! " 

Then  the  vizier's  daughter  opened  the  twelve  doors  one 
after  the  other  and  the  young  couple  soon  stood  in  the 
glorious  fresh  air  under  the  sky,  which  was  bespangled 
with  silver  stars,  and  radiant  with  the  light  of  the  moon. 
From  the  vizier's  treasury  they  took  three  tovars  of  gold, 
and  from  his  stables  his  two  best  horses.  And  the  maiden 
gave  Stephan  a  sabre  studded  with  large  diamonds — it 
was  worth  half  of  Novi  Bazar — saying:  "Take  this 
sword,  my  darling  lord :  that  thou  mayest  not  be  com- 
pelled to  give  way  to  inferior  heroes,  if  we  should  be 
molested  on  our  way  1 " 

Then  they  mounted  the  horses  and  urged  them  swiftly  away: 
in  one  night  they  put  a  distance  between  them  and  the 
vizier's  castle  which  a  caravan  could  not  cover  in  less  than 
three  days  and  three  nights.  At  dawn  of  the  next  day  they 
reached  Belgrade,  and  Prince  Stephan  immediately  sum- 
moned twelve  monks,  who  baptized  the  fair  Turkish 
maiden,  after  which  the  young  couple  were  happily 
united. 


183 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Ending  of  the  Ballad 

The  bard  finishes  his   ballad  with  the  following  stereo- 
typed ending  very  usual  with  Montenegrins : 
"  This  happened  once  upon  a  time ;  let  us,  O  brethren, 
pray  of  God  to  grant  our  holy  Vladika1  good  health ! 
Amen,  O  God,  to  whom  we  always  pray ! " 
Serbian  bards  did  not  as  a  rule  end  in  this  manner,  but 
contented  themselves  with  wishing  good  health  to  their 
audiences. 

Historical  Note 

During  the  long  course  of  the  imposition  of  Ottoman 
dominion  upon  the  suffering  Christian  races  of  the  Balkans 
there  were  always  at  the  courts  of  the  Christian  princes 
malcontents  whom  the  cunning  Turkish  statesmen  easily 
seduced  from  their  allegiance  to  their  rightful  lords,  and 
to  whom  they  extended  hospitality  in  Constantinople, 
often  overwhelming  them  with  riches  and  honours.  In 
return  they  have  rendered  most  important  services  to  the 
sultans  in  their  many  campaigns,  being,  of  course,  well 
acquainted  with  the  strategic  dispositions  of  their  country- 
men, and  often  with  important  state  secrets.  Sometimes 
such  traitorous  men  have  served  the  Turk  in  their  own 
country  by  sowing  the  seed  of  dissatisfaction  with  their 
rulers  among  the  peasantry,  assuring  them  that  they  would 
be  better  off  under  Ottoman  rule.  The  influence  of  such 
renegades  prevailed  upon  the  peasantry  in  Bosnia  and 
Herzegovina,  at  the  time  of  the  Battle  of  Kossovo  (1389), 

1  Vladika  means  in  Serbian  '  Bishop.'  In  Montenegro  members  of  the 
Petrovitch-Niegosh  family  were  bishops  as  well  as  political  rulers.  It 
was  Vladika  Danilo  Petrovitch,  uncle  of  the  present  king  of  Montenegro, 
who  first  assumed  the  title  of  prince  as  an  hereditary  one. 

184 


Historical  Note 

to  rise  against  their  rulers,  and  they  did  not  participate  in 
that  memorable  battle. 

Very  few  instances  of  such  treachery,  however,  occurred 
in  Montenegro,  which  has  been  from  the  earliest  times  the 
home  of  the  noblest  of  Serbian  aristocrats  and  heroes,  and 
where  the  adoption  of  the  faith  of  Islam,  no  matter  for 
what  reason,  or  from  what  motive,  was  considered  as  the 
greatest  cowardice  of  which  a  Christian  could  be  guilty. 


185 


CHAPTER  XI  :  THE  MARRIAGE 
OF  KING  VOUKASHIN 

The  Message  to  l^idossava 

KING  Voukashin1  of  Skadar  on  Boyana  2  wrote  a 
book  3  and  dispatched  it  to  Herzegovina,  to  the 
white   city    of    Pirlitor 4   opposite   the   mountain 
Dourmitor.     He  wrote   it  secretly,  and  secretly  he  dis- 
patched it  to  the  hands  of  beauteous  Vidossava,  the  lonely 
consort  of  Voivode  Momtchilo.     These  were  the  words 
in  the  book : 

"  Hail  Vidossava,  Momtchilo's  consort !  Why  dost  thou 
dwell  in  the  midst  of  ice  and  snow  ?  When  thou  lookest 
up  from  thy  castle  walls  thou  seest  Mount  Dourmitor 
adorned  with  ice  and  snow,  yea,  even  in  summer  as  in 
mid-winter ;  when  thou  lookest  down,  lo  !  thither  rushes 
thy  turbulent  River  Tarra  carrying  on  its  waves  wood  and 
stones.  There  are  no  fords,  neither  are  there  bridges  to 
span  it;  around  it  are  only  pine-trees  and  fragments  of 
rock.  Why  shouldst  thou  not  give  poison  to  thy  husband 
or  betray  him  unto  me?  Then  mightest  thou  fly  to  me  on 
this  level  sea-coast  in  my  white  city  on  Boyana.  I  will 
gladly  espouse  thee  and  thou  shalt  become  my  queen. 
Thou  shalt  spin  silk  upon  a  golden  spindle,  sit  upon  silk 
cushions  and  wear  velvet  embroidered  with  gold.  And 
how  glorious  is  this  city  of  Skadar  on  Boyana  !  When 
thou  lookest  upon  the  fertile  slopes  above  the  walls  thou 
wilt  see  innumerable  fig-trees  and  olive-trees,  and  vine- 

1  King  Voukashin,  the  father  of  Prince  Marko,  was  a  vassal  king  to  the 
Emperor  Doushan  the  Powerful. 

2  Boyana  is  the  river  upon  the  banks  of  which  Scutari  is  built. 

8  The  Serbian  bards  of  the  fourteenth  century  invariably  use  the  word 
"  book  "  when  speaking  of  a  letter. 

4  Or,  according  to  some  bards,  Piritor.  It  is  said  that  the  walls  of  the 
castle  still  exist  in  Herzegovina. 

1 86 


Vidossava's  Treachery 

yards  full  of  grapes ;  when  thou  lookest  beneath,  behold  1 
the  plain  will  be  white  with  nodding  wheat,  and  green 
with  the  verdure  of  the  meadows.  Through  the  meadows 
green-limpid  Boyana  is  flowing;  in  its  stream  are  all 
kinds  of  fish  which  thou  wilt  have  served  fresh  at  table 
when  thou  dost  so  desire." 

Vidossava's  Treachery 

When  Vidossava  had  read  the  book  she  wrote  a  reply  in 
fine  characters  :  "  My  Lord,  thou  King  Voukashin  !  It  is 
not  an  easy  task  to  betray  Voivode  Momtchilo,  still  less  is 
it  easy  to  poison  him.  Momtchilo  has  a  sister,  by  name 
Yevrossima,  who  prepares  his  dishes  and  partakes  of  each 
before  him.  He  has  nine  brothers  and  twelve  first  cousins 
who  pour  wine  into  his  golden  cup;  they  always  drink 
before  him  of  each  draught.  Also,  O  king!  Voivode 
Momtchilo  possesses  a  steed  named  Yaboutchilo;  it  has 
wings  and  can  fly  any  distance  its  master  wishes.  Nor  is 
this  all !  My  spouse  has  a  sword  adorned  with  diamonds 
as  big  as  a  maiden's  eyes  ;  with  this,  he  fears  no  one  but 
God.  But  attend  to  me,  O  King  Voukashin!  Gather  a 
numberless  army  together ;  bring  thy  heroes  to  the  lake,  and 
hide  there  in  the  woods.  It  is  Momtchilo's  custom  to  hunt 
each  Sunday  morning;  he  rides  out  with  his  nine  brothers 
and  his  twelve  cousins,  and  attended  by  forty  guards  from 
his  castle.  On  the  eve  of  next  Sunday  I  will  burn  off 
Yaboutchilo's  wings ;  the  jewelled  sword  I  will  dip  in 
salted  blood  that  Momtchilo  may  not  be  able  to  unsheath 
it :  thus  thou  shalt  be  able  to  vanquish  him." 
When  this  book  reached  King  Voukashin's  hands,  his 
heart  rejoiced  and  he  assembled  a  large  force  and  marched 
to  Herzegovina.  He  marched  to  the  lake  by  Momtchilo's 
castle,  where  he  hid  in  the  neighbouring  woods. 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

On  the  eve  of  Sunday,  Momtchilo  retired  to  his  bed- 
chamber to  rest  upon  the  silken  cushions,  when  lo!  his 
consort  came  to  him.  She  did  not  lay  on  the  cushions,  but 
stood  by  her  spouse  and  her  tears  fell  upon  his  head. 
Feeling  the  warm  tears  upon  his  knightly  cheeks,  the 
Voivode  looked  up  and  said :  "  O  Vidossava,  my  faithful 
consort!  What  great  trouble  afflicts  thee,  that  thou 
shouldst  shed  tears  upon  my  head?" 
And  Vidossava  answered :  "  My  Lord,  thou  Voivode 
Momtchilo  !  I  have  no  trouble  but  for  thee !  I  have 
heard  tell  of  a  marvel  which  I  have  not  seen  with  my  own 
eyes.  It  is  said  that  thou  hast  a  wondrous  winged  steed 
but  I  cannot  believe  the  story.  It  is  some  evil  portent, 
and  I  fear  thou  wilt  perish  !  " 

The  Winged  Horse 

Momtchilo  was  usually  cautious,  but  this  time  he  fell  into 
the  trap.  "  Vidossava,  my  dear  consort,"  said  he, 
tenderly,  "  if  that  be  all  thy  trouble  I  will  easily  console 
thee.  Thou  shalt  see  the  wings  of  my  steed  Tchile : 1  when 
the  first  cocks  crow  go  down  to  the  new  stables,  Tchile 
will  then  unfold  his  wings,  as  thou  wilt  see." 
Saying  this,  he  composed  himself  once  more  to  slumber. 
But  not  so  Vidossava.  She  watched  to  hear  the  first 
rooster's  crow,  and  at  the  sound  she  sprang  to  her  feet, 
lit  a  lantern  and  a  candle,  took  some  fat  of  mutton  and 
some  tar,  and  hurried  to  the  stables.  And  behold !  she 
saw  Yaboutchilo  unfold  a  pair  of  wings  which  reached 
down  to  his  hoofs.  Vidossava  anointed  the  pinions  with 
the  fat  and  tar  and  set  fire  to  them  with  the  flame  of  her 
candle.  What  did  not  burn  she  bound  tightly  under  the 
belt  of  the  steed.  This  done,  she,  the  youthful  one,  went 
1  Tchile,  diminutive  of  Yaboutchilo,  the  full  name  of  the  steed, 
188 


The  Ambuscade 

to  the  armoury  and  dipped  Momtchilo's  favourite  sword 
into  salted  blood.  Then  she  returned  to  her  consort's 
chamber. 

Momtchilds  Dream 

At  daybreak  Momtchilo  awoke  and  spake  thus  to 
Vidossava :  "  Vidossava,  my  beloved  spouse !  I  have  had 
this  night  a  strange  dream :  there  appeared  suddenly  a 
cloud  of  fog  from  the  accursed  land  of  Vassoye  and 
wrapped  itself  round  Dourmitor.  I  rode  through  the 
cloud  with  my  nine  darling  brothers  and  twelve  first- 
cousins,  together  with  my  forty  guards.  In  that  fog, 
O  my  darling  Vidossava  !  we  lost  sight  of  each  other, 
never  to  meet  again  !  God  alone  knows  what  this  dream 
means,  but  I  have  a  presentiment  that  some  evil  will  befall 
us  soon  ! " 

Vidossava  endeavoured  to  reassure  her  lord.  "Do  not 
fear,  my  darling  lord  !  "  she  said;  "dreams  are  false,  God 
is  true ! " 

The  Ambuscade 

Momtchilo  attired  himself  for  hunting  and  walked  out 
from  his  white  tower  to  the  courtyard,  where  his  nine 
brothers,  twelve  cousins,  and  forty  guards  awaited  him. 
His  spouse  led  to  him  his  Yaboutchilo ;  he  sprang  to  the 
saddle,  and  without  more  ado  rode  with  his  followers  to 
the  hunt.  All  unsuspecting,  they  reached  the  lake,  when 
suddenly  a  great  force  surrounded  them.  Momtchilo 
grasped  his  sword,  but,  alas !  he  was  unable  to  unsheathe 
it.  Then  he  exclaimed  bitterly:  "Hark,  my  beloved 
brethren !  My  consort  Vidossava  has  betrayed  me  ;  give 
me  a  sword  !  " 

Speedily  his  brothers  obeyed;  they  gave  him  the  best 

189 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

sword  they  had.  Then  Momtchilo  said  again  :  "  Listen, 
my  beloved  brothers :  ye  shall  attack  the  wings  of  the 
army  and  I  will  storm  it  in  the  centre." 
God  adored,  what  a  mighty  wonder!  *  Would  that 
some  from  among  ye,  brethren,^  could  have  been  there 
to  see :  how  Voivode  Momtchilo  wielded  his  sword  and 
cleared  his  way  through  the  press  of  his  foes  ! '  Howbeit, 
more  were  crushed  by  Yaboutchilo  than  by  the  hero's 
sword!  But,  alas!  a  sad  misfortune  had  befallen  him: 
when  he  had  gained  clear  of  the  foe  his  brothers'  nine 
black  steeds  followed  after  him ;  but  their  saddles  were 
empty  ! 

When  Momtchilo  saw  this  his  heroic  heart  burst  from  great 
sorrow  for  the  loss  of  his  nine  beloved  brothers  :  his 
sword-arm  dropped  limp  at  his  side,  and  knowing  that  he 
could  fight  no  more,  he  spurred  Yaboutchilo,  intending 
that  he  should  unfold  his  wings  and  fly  to  his  castle. 
But,  alas !  for  the  first  time  his  charger  did  not  respond 
to  the  spur.  Then  Momtchilo  spake  reproachfully  thus  : 
"  O  Yaboutchilo,  may  wolves  devour  thee  !  Many 
times  hast  thou  flown  from  here  merely  in  pastime,  and 
now  when  I  am  in  sore  straits  thou  wilt  not  fly ! " 
And  the  steed  answered,  neighing:  "My  Lord,  mighty 
Voivode  Momtchilo !  Do  not  curse  me,  nor  try  to  force 
me  further.  To-day  I  cannot  fly !  May  God  punish  thy 
Vidossava !  Last  night  she  burnt  the  pinions  of  my  two 
wings.  What  did  not  burn  she  tied  tightly  under  my  belt. 

0  my  beloved  master !  thou  hadst  better  escape  as  thou 
mayest.     I  cannot  help  thee !  " 

When  Momtchilo  heard  this,  tears  fell  down  his  heroic 

1  It  must  be  remembered  that  these  ballads  are  recited  by  bards  before 
great  gatherings  of  people  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  hence  such  direct 
addresses. 

IQO 


Brother  &P  Sister 

visage.  He  alighted  heavily  from  his  well-loved  Yabou- 
tchilo;  after  a  last  caress  he  gathered  himself  together, 
and  in  three  leaps  he  found  himself  before  the  portals  of 
his  castle.  And  lo !  the  massive  gates  were  closed  and 
locked. 

Brother  and  Sister 

Seeing  this,  Momtchilo  called  aloud  upon  his  sister :  "  O 
Yevrossima,  my  darling  sister  I  Stretch  down  to  me  a 
roll  of  linen  that  I  may  climb  the  castle  wall  and  escape 
ere  my  pursuers  come  up  with  me !  " 
Yevrossima  heard  the  appeal  and  answered  through 
copious  tears  :  "  Alas,  my  darling  brother,  thou  Voivode 
Momtchilo !  How  can  I  drop  down  to  thee  a  length  of 
white  linen,  seeing  that  my  sister-in-law,  thine  own  faith- 
less Vidossava,  hath  bound  my  hair  to  a  beam  ?  " 
But  sisters  have  soft  hearts  for  their  brothers,1  and 
Yevrossima,  for  the  sake  of  her  only  brother,  jerked  her 
head  with  such  force  that  she  left  her  hair  on  the  beam ; 
then  she  seized  a  length  of  linen,  made  one  end  fast,  and 
threw  the  other  end  over  the  wall  from  the  rampart. 
Momtchilo  seized  the  linen  and  quickly  climbed  almost  to 
the  top  of  the  rampart.  He  was  on  the  point  of  springing 
into  the  fortress  when  his  faithless  spouse  ran  thither 
swiftly  and,  with  a  sharp  sword,  cut  the  linen  above 
Momtchilo's  hands. 

By  this  time  the  forces  of  Voukashin  had  come  up,  and 
Momtchilo  was  precipitated  upon  their  swords  and  lances. 
Seeing  the  hero  fall,  the  king  hastened  to  the  spot,  and 
with  a  fierce  thrust  ran  him  through  the  heart.  So  fiercely 
did  he  lunge  that  the  end  of  the  sword  penetrated  the  wall. 

1  This  is  one  more  instance  of  the  intensity  of  sisterly  love  to  which  we 
have  previously  referred. 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Death  of  Momtchilo 

Voivode  Momtchilo  was  a  rare  hero,  and  he  was  able  to 
speak  these  last  words  to  King  Voukashin :  "  My  last 
request  to  thee,  O  King  Voukashin,  is  that  thou  shouldst 
not  marry  my  faithless  Vidossava,  for  she  will  betray  thee 
also.  To-day  she  hath  betrayed  me  to  thee ;  to-morrow 
she  will  deal  with  thee  in  like  manner  !  Far  better  would 
it  be  to  marry  my  dear  sister  Yevrossima,  the  loveliest  of 
maidens.  She  will  always  be  faithful  to  thee  and  will 
bear  thee  a  hero  like  unto  myself." 

This  spake  Voivode  Momtchilo,  struggling  with  pale 
death  :  this  he  said  and  his  soul  flew  heavenward. 
The  gates  of  the  castle  were  now  opened,  and  the  faithless 
Vidossava  came  out  to  welcome  King  Voukashin.  After 
she  had  greeted  him  she  led  the  way  to  her  white  tower 
and  gave  him  a  seat  at  her  golden  table.  She  offered 
him  fine  wines  and  many  lordly  dishes.  Then  she  went 
to  the  armoury  and  brought  Momtchilo's  armour  and 
weapons.  But,  marvellous  to  relate !  Momtchilo's  helmet, 
which  fitted  him  closely,  fell  down  to  King  Voukashin's 
shoulders.  One  of  Momtchilo's  top-boots  was  big 
enough  for  King  Voukashin's  two  feet.  Momtchilo's 
golden  rings  were  too  large  for  three  of  King  Vouka- 
shin's fingers  together.  Momtchilo's  sabre  was  one 
whole  yard  too  long  when  King  Voukashin  tried  it  on 
his  belt! 

The  Punishment  of  Vidossava 

Seeing   all   this,    King   Voukashin   exclaimed :    "  Alas ! 

Woe  is  me!     May  God  forgive  me!     What  a  faithless 

monster  this  youthful  Vidossava  must  be  to  betray  such  a 

hero,  whose  equal  would  be  vainly  sought  throughout  the 

192 


Historical  Note 

whole  world !  How  could  I,  the  wretched  one,  expect 
such  a  woman  to  be  faithful  to  me  ?  " 
So  saying,  he  called  loudly  to  his  servants,  who  took 
Vidossava  and  bound  her  fair  limbs  to  the  tails  of  four 
horses  and  drove  them  from  the  castle  Pirlitor.  Thus, 
dreadful  fate  !  she  was  torn  to  pieces  alive. 
Then  the  king  pillaged  Voivode  Momtchilo's  castle  and 
led  away  Yevrossima  to  his  palace  at  Skadar  on  Boyana. 
Later,  he  deserved  her  love  and  married  her,  and  she 
bore  unto  him  Marko  and  Andrias.  Truly  Marko  in- 
herited the  heroism  of  Voivode  Momtchilo,  and  thus  his 
uncle's  prediction  was  fulfilled. 

Historical  Note 

Primitive  ac  may>>p  the  customs  illustrated  in  this  ballad 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  it  is  undoubtedly  worthy  of  a 
place  in  my  collection.  It  was  taken  down  by  Vouk  St. 
Karadgitch  from  the  lips  of  the  Serbian  bard,  and  I  cannot 
sufficiently  express  my  regret  for  my  inability  to  convey 
in  English  the  beautiful  and  audacious  similes  and  the 
eloquent  figures  of  speech  which  adorn  the  original. 
The  French  mediaeval  troubadour  rarely  chose  as  his 
theme  the  fajthjegs^psi_pf  wnfnpn  J  probably  because 
incidents  like  the  one  described  in  our  ballad  were  either 
unknown  or  too  common  to  be  considered  interesting. 
But  if  the  Serbian  bards  did  not,  excepting  in  this  rare 
instance,  sing  of  the  fickleness  and  treachery  of  the  weaker 
sex,  it  was  that  Serbian  public  opinion  could  not  suffer  the 
contemplation  of  faithlessness  on  the  part  of  either  husband 
or  wife.  No  doubt  the  bard,  wandering  from  one  monas- 
tery to  another,  found  in  some  chronicle  a  few  facts  con- 
cerning the  marriage  of  King  Voukashin  which  he 
elaborated  much  as  did  the  French  troubadour  who  dealt 

N  193 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

similarly  with  the  slender  historic  fact  relative  to  the 
battle  at  Ronceval.  The  public  opinion  of  the  epoch  is 
reflected  in  the  barbarous  punishment  which  the  bard 
moved  by  his  austerity,  inflicts  upon  Vidossava.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  in  my  researches  I  have  not  found 
one  ballad  in  which  faithlessness  on  the  part  of  a  husband 
occurs. 

In  the  ballads  concerning  the  royal  Prince  Marko  we  see 
that  he  was  always  chivalrous  toward  women,  especially 
toward  widows  and  oppressed  maidens,  irrespective  of 
their  social  position  or  their  religion.  He  is  willing  to 
succour  Turkish  maidens,  for  whom  he  is  ready  to 
jeopardize  his  life.  In  the  ballad  entitled  "  The  Cap- 
tivity and  Marriage  of  Stephan  Yakshitch  "  the  bard  tells 
of  advances  made  to  Stephan  by  a  passionate  Turkish 
maiden,  which  he  repels  with  indignation  at  the  mere  idea 
of  an  alliance  between  a  Christian  and  a  Mussulman  woman. 
King  Voukashin  might  have  corresponded  with  Voivode 
Momtchilo's  wife  previous  to  her  marriage,  but  if  so  it 
must  have  been  rather  a  political  attachment  than  an 
affair  of  the  heart. 


194 


CHAPTER  XII  :  THE   SAINTS 
DIVIDE  THE  TREASURES1 

The  Bard  begins  ! 

MERCIFUL  Creator!    Does  it  thunder,  or  is  the 
earth  quaking  ?     Or  can  it  be  the  tempestuous 
ocean  hurling  its  waves  against  the  shore?2 
Nay !    It  is  not  thunder,  neither  is  the  earth  quaking,  nor 
is  the  stormy  ocean  beating  upon  the  shore ! 
Lo  !    the    saints    are    dividing   among   themselves   the 
treasures  of  Heaven,  of  Earth  and  of  Sea :  Saint  Peter 
and  St.  Nicolas,  St.  John  and  St.  Elias ;  with  them,  too, 
is  St.  Panthelias. 

Suddenly  there  comes  Beata  Maria,  tears  streaming  down 
her  white  face. 

"  Dear  sister  ours,"  spake  St.  Elias,  "  thou  Beata  Maria ! 
What  great  misfortune  hath  befallen  thee  that  thou  shouldst 
shed  tears  down  thy  cheeks?" 

Thereupon,  amid  her  sobs,  Beata  Maria  said :  "  O  my 
dear  brother,  thou  Thunderer  Elias  !  How  could  I  refrain 
from  shedding  tears,  since  I  am  just  come  from  India — 
from  India,  that  accursed  country?  In  that  degraded 
land  there  is  utter  lawlessness  :  the  common  people  do 
not  respect  their  superiors ;  children  do  not  obey  their 
parents  ;  parents  crush  their  own  children  under  their 
feet  (may  their  cheeks  blush  at  the  divan3  before 

1  This  ballad  is  in  all  probability  a  remnant  of  the  mythologic  traces  of 
a  great  prehistoric  catastrophe,  and  it  illustrates  more  than  any  other 
ancient  memorial  of  the  poetic  Serbian  people,  the  striking  similarity  in 
the  beliefs  of  nations. 

2  This  opening  might  perplex  many  readers  if  it  were  not  explained 
that  the  commotion  is  not  caused  by  the  saints,  but  is  due  to  the 
device,  familiar  to  a  Serbian  audience,  whereby  the  bard  gives  his  ballad 
an  effective  start,  and  obtains  the  close  attention  of  his  peasant  hearers. 

3  Divan  means  in  Serbian  any  state  gathering.   *  In  this  passage  i 
means  the  Supreme  Judgment. 

195 

V 


Tales  @f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

the  very  God  of  truth !)  A  koom  prosecutes  a  brother 
koom  before  the  judge  and  bears  false  witness  against 
him — thus  losing  his  own  soul,  and  damaging  one 
who  has  acted  as  a  witness  at  his  wedding  or  baptism; 
brother  challenges  brother  to  duels ;  a  bride  is  not  to  be 
entrusted  with  safety  to  the  care  of  a  dever,  and,  alas  ! 
even  more  dreadful  things  have  I  seen ! ' 
The  Thunderer  Elias  returned  answer :  "  O  sister  dear, 
thou  Beata  Maria!  Wipe  those  tears  from  thy  tender 
face !  When  we  have  divided  these  treasures  we  will  go 
to  the  divan  unto  our  Almighty  creator.  Him  we  will 
pray,  the  Truthful  One,  that  He  may,  in  His  Infinite 
Grace,  grant  us  the  Keys  of  the  Seven  Heavens,  with 
which  we  may  lock  them.  I  will  seal  the  clouds  that 
no  drop  of  rain  may  fall  therefrom,  neither  abundant  rain 
nor  soft  dew.  Also,  the  silvery  moonbeams  shall  not 
shine  at  night.  Thus  for  three  full  years  there  shall  be  a 
heavy  drought,  and  neither  wheat  nor  wine  shall  grow, 
yea,  not  as  much  as  is  needful  for  the  Holy  Mass." 
Beata  Maria  was  comforted,  and  wiped  away  the  tears 
from  her  milk-white  face.  And  the  saints  turned  again  to 
the  division  of  the  treasures  :  Peter  chose  wine  and  wheat 
and  the  Keys  of  the  Heavenly  Empire ;  Elias  chose  the 
lightning  and  thunder;  Panthelias,  great  heats  ;  John 
chose  brotherhood  and  koomhood  as  well  as  the  Holy 
Cros*  Nicolas  chose  the  seas  with  the  galleys  upon  them. 

The  Wrath  of  God 

Then  one  and  all  went  to  divan  with  the  Almighty,  to 

Whom  for  three  white  days  and  three  obscure  nights  they 

prayed   incessantly.      They    prayed    and,    indeed,   their 

prayers  were  heard  :    God  gave  them  the  Keys  of   the 

Heavens. 

196 


The  Wrath  of  God 

They  locked  the  Seven  Heavens ;  they  affixed  seals  upon 
the  clouds  and  lo,  for  full  three  years,  there  fell  no  drop 
of  rain,  neither  rain  nor  silent  dew !  Neither  shone  the 
silvery  moonlight,  nor  did  wine  grow  or  wheat  spring 
up  from  the  parched  ground, — not  even  as  much  as  is 
requisite  for  the  needs  of  Holy  Church. 
Behold  !  The  black  earth  cracked ;  the  living  dropped 
in  it.  God  sent  an  awful  plague  which  smote  both  old 
and  young,  severing  those  who  were  dear  to  each  other. 
The  small  remnant  who  remained  alive  bitterly  repented 
and  turned  to  the  Lord  God  in  whom  they  truly  believed , 
and  who  now  blessed  them. 

And  God's  benediction  which  He  gave  to  those  people 
yet  remains  :  there  should  be  winter  and  summer  once  in 
each  year! 
As  it  was  long  ago,  so  it  is  nowadays. 

"  God  Adored,  may  our  thanks  reach  Thee  ! 
What  has  been,  may  it  never  happen  again  ! " 


CHAPTER  XIII  :  THREE 
SERBIAN  BALLADS 

/.   THE  BUILDING  OF  SKADAR 
(SCUTARI)  i 

THE  following  poems  are  reprinted  here  from  Sir 
John  Bowring's  Servian  Popular  Poetry ,  London, 
1827.     These  translations  will  serve  to  give  to 
English  readers  some  idea  of  the  form  of  the  national 
decasyllabic  verse  from  which  the  matter  of  the  greater 

part  of  this  book  is  taken. 

^  ^    —     <-'   —    u 

Brothers  three  combined  to  build  a  fortress, 
Brothers  three,  the  brothers  Mrnyavtchevitch, 
Kraly  Vukashin 2  was  the  eldest  brother; 
And  the  second  was  Uglesha-Voivode ; 
And  the  third,  the  youngest  brother  Goiko. 
Full  three  years  they  labour'd  at  the  fortress, 
Skadra's  fortress  on  Boyana's  river ; 
Full  three  years  three  hundred  workmen  labour'd. 
Vain  th'  attempt  to  fix  the  wall's  foundation. 
Vainer  still  to  elevate  the  fortress : 
Whatsoe'er  at  eve  had  raised  the  workmen 
Did  the  veela  raze  ere  dawn  of  morning. 
When  the  fourth  year  had  begun  its  labours, 
Lo  !  the  veela  from  the  forest-mountain 
Call'd — "  Thou  King  Vukashin !  vain  thine  efforts ! 
Vain  thine  efforts — all  thy  treasures  wasting ! 
Never,  never,  wilt  thou  build  the  fortress, 
If  thou  find  not  two  same-titled  beings, 
If  thou  find  not  Stoyan  and  Stoyana : 

1  Skadar  or  Skadra,  derived  from  the  Italian  appellation  Scodra,  other- 
wise Scutari,  the  present  capital  of  Albania.     Scutari  has  belonged  from 
time  immemorial  to  the  Serbians. 

2  Kraly  means  King. 

198 


The  Building  of  Skadar 

And  these  two — these  two  young  twins  so  loving, 

They  must  be  immured  in  the  foundation. 

Thus  alone  will  the  foundations  serve  thee  : 

Thus  alone  can  ye  erect  your  fortress." 

When  Vukashin  heard  the  veela's  language, 

Soon  he  caird  to  Dessimir,  his  servant : 

"  Listen,  Dessimir,  my  trusty  servant ! 

Thou  hast  been  my  trusty  servant  ever ; 

Thou  shalt  be  my  son  from  this  day  onward. 

Fasten  thou  my  coursers  to  my  chariot : 

Load  it  with  six  lasts  of  golden  treasures  : 

Travel  through  the  whole  wide  world,  and  bring  me, 

Bring  me  back  those  two  same-titled  beings : 

Bring  me  back  that  pair  of  twins  so  loving : 

Bring  me  hither  Stoyan  and  Stoyana: 

Steal  them,  if  with  gold  thou  canst  not  buy  them. 

Bring  them  here  to  Skadar  on  Boyana  1 

We'll  inter  them  in  the  wall's  foundation  : 

So  the  wall's  foundations  will  be  strengthened  : 

So  we  shall  build  up  our  Skadra's  fortress." 

Dessimir  obey'd  his  master's  mandate ; 

Fasten'd,  straight,  the  horses  to  the  chariot ; 

FilPd  it  with  six  lasts  of  golden  treasures  ; 

Through  the  whole  wide  world  the  trusty  servant 

Wander'd — asking  for  these  same-named  beings — 

For  the  twins — for  Stoyan  and  Stoyana ; 

Full  three  years  he  sought  them, — sought  them  vainly  : 

Nowhere  could  he  find  these  same-named  beings  : 

Nowhere  found  he  Stoyan  and  Stoyana. 

Then  he  hasten'd  homeward  to  his  master; 

Gave  the  king  his  horses  and  his  chariot ; 

1  Boyana  is  the  name  of  the  river  washing  the  wall  of  Skadar 

199 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Gave  him  his  six  lasts  of  golden  treasures: 
"  Here,  my  sov'reign,  are  thy  steeds  and  chariot : 
Here  thou  hast  thy  lasts  of  golden  treasures :  ' 
Nowhere  could  I  find  those  same-named  beings  : 
Nowhere  found  I  Stoyan  and  Stoyana." 

When  Vukashin  had  dismiss'd  his  servant, 

Straight  he  calPd  his  builder  master  Rado. 

Rado  call'd  on  his  three  hundred  workmen ; 

And  they  built  up  Skadar  on  Boyana ; 

But,  at  even  did  the  veela  raze  it : 

Vainly  did  they  raise  the  wall's  foundation ; 

Vainly  seek  to  build  up  Skadra's  fortress. 

And  the  veela,  from  the  mountain-forest, 

Cried,  "  Vukashin,  listen  !  listen  to  me ! 

Thou  dost  spill  thy  wealth,  and  waste  thy  labour  : 

Vainly  seek'st  to  fix  the  wall's  foundations  ; 

Vainly  seek'st  to  elevate  the  fortress. 

Listen  now  to  me !     Ye  are  three  brothers : 

Each  a  faithful  wife  at  home  possesses : — 

Her  who  comes  to-morrow  to  Boyana, 

Her  who  brings  the  rations  to  the  workmen — 

Her  immure  deep,  down,  in  the  wall's  foundations : — 

So  shall  the  foundations  fix  them  firmly : 

So  shall  thou  erect  Boyana's  fortress." 

When  the  king  Vukashin  heard  the  veela, 

Both  his  brothers  speedily  he  summon'd  : 

"  Hear  my  words,  now  hear  my  words,  my  brothers  ! 

From  the  forest-hill  the  veela  told  me, 

That  we  should  no  longer  waste  our  treasures 

In  the  vain  attempt  to  raise  the  fortress 

On  a  shifting,  insecure  foundation. 

200 


The  veela  razing  the  walls  of  Skadar 


The  Building  of  Skadar 

Said  the  veela  of  the  forest-mountain, 

Each  of  you  a  faithful  wife  possesses ; 

Each  a  faithful  bride  that  keeps  your  dwellings : 

Her  who  to  the  fortress  comes  to-morrow, 

Her  who  brings  their  rations  to  the  workmen — 

Her  immure  within  the  wall's  foundations; 

So  will  the  foundations  bear  the  fortress : 

So  Boyana' s  fortress  be  erected. 

Now  then,  brothers  !  in  God's  holy  presence 

Let  each  swear  to  keep  the  awful  secret ; 

Leave  to  chance  whose  fate  'twill  be  to-morrow 

First  to  wend  her  way  to  Skadar's  river." 

And  each  brother  swore,  in  God's  high  presence, 

From  his  wife  to  keep  the  awful  secret. 

When  the  night  had  on  the  earth  descended, 
Each  one  hastened  to  his  own  white  dwelling; 
Each  one  shared  the  sweet  repast  of  evening ; 
Each  one  sought  his  bed  of  quiet  slumber. 

Lo  !  there  happen'd  then  a  wond'rous  marvel ! 

First,  Vukashin  on  his  oath  he  trampled, 

Whisp'ring  to  his  wife  the  awful  secret : 

"  Shelter  thee !  my  faithful  wife !  be  shelter'd  ! 

Go  not  thou  to-morrow  to  Boyana ! 

Bring  not  to  the  workmen  food  to-morrow  ! 

Else,  my  fair  !  thy  early  life  'twill  cost  thee : 

And  beneath  the  walls  they  will  immure  thee ! " 

On  his  oath,  too,  did  Uglesha  trample ! 
And  he  gave  his  wife  this  early  warning  : 
"  Be  not  thou  betray'd,  sweet  love !  to  danger  ! 
Go  not  thou  to-morrow  to  Boyana  ! 

20 1 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Carry  not  their  rations  to  the  workmen ! 

Else  in  earliest  youth  thy  friend  might  lose  thee ! 

Thou  might  be  immured  in  the  foundation ! " 

Faithful  to  his  oath,  young  Goiko  whisper' d 
Not  a  breath  to  warn  his  lovely  consort. 

When  the  morning  dawn'd  upon  the  morrow, 
All  the  brothers  roused  them  at  the  day- break, 
And  each  sped,  as  wont,  to  the  Boyana. 
Now,  behold  !  two  young  and  noble  women; 
They — half-sisters — they,  the  eldest  sisters — 
One  is  bringing  up  her  snow-bleach'd  linen, 
Yet  once  more  in  summer  sun  to  bleach  it. 
See  !  she  comes  on  to  the  bleaching  meadows  ; 
There  she  stops — she  comes  not  one  step  further. 
Lo !  the  second,  with  a  red-clay  pitcher ; 
Lo !  she  comes — she  fills  it  at  the  streamlet ; 
There  she  talks  with  other  women — lingers — 
Yes  I  she  lingers — comes  not  one  step  farther. 

Goiko's  youthful  wife  at  home  is  tarrying, 

For  she  has  an  infant  in  the  cradle 

Not  a  full  moon  old ;  the  little  nursling : 

But  the  moment  of  repast  approaches  ; 

And  her  aged  mother  then  bestirs  her ; 

Fain  would  call  the  serving-maid,  and  bid  her 

Take  the  noon-tide  meal  to  the  Boyana. 

"  Nay,  not  so  1 "  said  the  young  wife  of  Goiko  ; 

"Stay,  sit  down  in  peace,  I  pray  thee,  mother! 

Rock  the  little  infant  in  his  cradle  : 

I  myself  will  bear  the  food  to  Skadra. 

In  the  sight  of  God  it  were  a  scandal, 

202 


The  Building  of  Skadar 

An  affront  and  shame  among  all  people, 
If,  of  three,  no  one  were  found  to  bear  it." 


So  she  staid  at  home,  the  aged  mother, 
And  she  rock'd  the  nursling  in  the  cradle. 
Then  arose  the  youthful  wife  of  Goiko ; 
Gave  them  the  repast,  and  bade  them  forward. 
CalPd  around  her  all  the  serving  maidens ; 
When  they  reach'd  Boyana's  flowing  river, 
They  were  seen  by  Mrnyavtchevitch  Goiko, 
On  his  youthful  wife,  heart-rent,  he  threw  him ; 
Flung  his  strong  right  arm  around  her  body ; 
Kiss'd  a  thousand  times  her  snowy  forehead : 
Burning  tears  stream'd  swiftly  from  his  eyelids, 
And  he  spoke  in  melancholy  language : 

"  O  my  wife,  my  own  !  my  full  heart's-sorrow ! 
Didst  thou  never  dream  that  thou  must  perish  ? 
Why  hast  thou  our  little  one  abandoned  ? 
Who  will  bathe  our  little  one,  thou  absent? 
Who  will  bare  the  breast  to  feed  the  nursling  ?  " 
More,  and  more,  and  more,  he  fain  would  utter ; 
But  the  king  allow'd  it  not.     Vukashin, 
By  her  white  hand  seizes  her,  and  summons 
Master  Rado, — he  the  master-builder  ; 
And  he  summons  his  three  hundred  workmen. 

But  the  young  espoused  one  smiles,  and  dreams  it 
All  a  laughing  jest, — no  fear  o'ercame  her. 
Gathering  round  her,  the  three  hundred  workmen 
Pile  the  stones  and  pile  the  beams  about  her. 
They  have  now  immured  her  to  the  girdle. 

203 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Higher  rose  the  walls  and  beams,  and  higher ; 
Then  the  wretch  first  saw  the  fate  prepared  her, 
And  she  shriek'd  aloud  in  her  despair; 
In  her  woe  implored  her  husband's  brothers : 
"  Can  ye  think  of  God  ? — have  ye  no  pity  ? 
Can  ye  thus  immure  me,  young  and  healthful  ?  " 
But  in  vain,  in  vain  were  her  entreaties ; 
And  her  brothers  left  her  thus  imploring. 

Shame  and  fear  succeeded  then  to  censure, 

And  she  piteously  invoked  her  husband : 

"  Can  it,  can  it  be,  my  lord  and  husband, 

That  so  young,  thou,  reckless,  would'st  immure  me  ? 

Let  us  go  and  seek  my  aged  mother : 

Let  us  go — my  mother  she  is  wealthy  : 

She  will  buy  a  slave, — a  man  or  woman, 

To  be  buried  in  the  wall's  foundations." 

When  the  mother-wife — the  wife  and  mother, 

Found  her  earnest  plaints  and  prayers  neglected, 

She  address'd  herself  to  Neimar  Rado :  l 

"  In  God's  name,  my  brother,  Neimar  Rado, 

Leave  a  window  for  this  snowy  bosom. 

Let  this  snowy  bosom  heave  it  freely ; 

When  my  voiceless  Yovo  shall  come  near  me, 

When  he  comes,  O  let  him  drain  my  bosom !  " 

Rado  bade  the  workmen  all  obey  her, 

Leave  a  window  for  that  snowy  bosom, 

Let  that  snowy  bosom  heave  it  freely 

When  her  voiceless  Yovo  shall  come  near  her, 

When  he  comes,  he'll  drink  from  out  her  bosom. 

1  Nei mar  means  'architect.' 
204 


The  Building  of  Skadar 

Once  again  she  cried  to  Neimar  Rado, 
"  Neimar  Rado !     In  God's  name,  my  brother  ! 
Leave  for  these  mine  eyes  a  little  window, 
That  these  eyes  may  see  our  own  white  dwelling, 
When  my  Yovo  shall  be  brought  toward  me, 
When  my  Yovo  shall  be  carried  homeward." 
Rado  bade  the  workmen  all  obey  her, 
Leave  for  those  bright  eyes  a  little  window, 
That  her  eyes  may  see  her  own  white  dwelling, 
When  they  bring  her  infant  Yovo  to  her, 
When  they  take  the  infant  Yovo  homeward. 

So  they  built  the  heavy  wall  about  her, 
And  then  brought  the  infant  in  his  cradle, 
Which  a  long,  long  while  his  mother  suckled. 
Then  her  voice  grew  feeble — then  was  silent : 
Still  the  stream  flow'd  forth  and  nursed  the  infant : 
Full  a  year  he  hung  upon  her  bosom  ; 
Still  the  stream  flow'd  forth — and  still  it  floweth.1 
Women,  when  the  life-stream  dries  within  them, 
Thither  come — the  place  retains  its  virtue — 
Thither  come,  to  still  their  crying  infants ! 

1  Sir  John  Bowring,  writing  in  1827,  states  that  a  small  stream  of  liquid 
carbonate  of  lime  is  shown  on  the  walls  of  Scutari  as  evidence  of  the 
truth  of  this  story.  Vouk  St.  Karadjitch,  says  that  the  Serbian  people 
even  to-day  believe  that  no  great  building  can  be  successfully  erected 
without  the  immuring  of  some  human  being.  Therefore  they  avoid  the 
neighbourhood  of  such  buildings  while  they  are  being  erected,  for  it  is 
said  that  even  the  spirit  of  such  an  unfortunate  being  can  be  immured, 
whereby  a  speedy  death  would  ensue.  Srpskc  Narodne  Pyesme,  Vienna, 
l875>  vol.  ii.  p.  124,  footnote  20. 


205 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

//.   THE  STEPSISTERS 
Near  each  other  grew  two  verdant  larches, 
And,  between,  a  high  and  slender  fir-tree : 
Not  two  larches  were  they — not  two  larches, 
Not  a  high  and  slender  fir  between  them — 
They  were  brothers,  children  of  one  mother. 
One  was  Paul ;  the  other  brother,  Radool, 
And,  between  them,  Yelitza,  their  sister. 
Cordial  was  the  love  her  brothers  bore  her; 
Many  a  token  of  affection  gave  her, 
Many  a  splendid  gift  and  many  a  trifle, 
And  at  last  a  knife,  in  silver  hafted, 
And  adorn'd  with  gold,  they  gave  their  sister. 

When  the  youthful  wife  of  Paul  had  heard  it, 

Jealousy  swell'd  up  within  her  bosom  : 

And  she  call'd,  enraged,  to  RadooPs  lady : 

"  Sister  mine !  thou  in  the  Lord  my  sister, 

Dost  thou  know  some  plant  of  demon-virtue, 

Which  may  bring  our  sister  to  perdition  ?  " 

Radool's  wife  her  sister  swiftly  answered  : 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  what  mean'st  thou,  sister  ? 

Of  such  cursed  weeds  I  know  not. — Did  I, 

Never  would  I  tell  thee  of  them,  never ; 

For  my  brothers  love  me ;  yes  !  they  love  me — 

To  their  love  full  many  a  gift  bears  witness." 

When  Paul's  youthful  wife  had  heard  her  sister, 
To  the  steed  she  hastened  in  the  meadow, 
Gave  the  steed  a  mortal  wound,  and  hurried 
To  her  husband,  whom  she  thus  accosted : — 
"  Evil  is  the  love  thou  bear'st  thy  sister, 
206 


The  Stepsisters 

And  thy  gifts  are  worse  than  wasted  to  her ; 

She  has  stabb'd  thy  courser  in  the  meadow." 

Paul  inquired  of  Yelitza,  his  sister, 

"Why  this  deed,  as  God  shall  recompense  thee  ?  " 

High  and  loudly,  then  the  maid  protested  : 

"  By  my  life,  it  was  not  I,  my  brother; 

By  my  life  and  by  thy  life,  I  swear  it  I  " 

And  the  brother  doubted  not  his  sister. 

Which  when  Paul's  young  wife  perceived,  at  even 

To  the  garden  secretly  she  hastened, 

Wrung  the  neck  of  Paul's  grey  noble  falcon, — 

To  her  husband  sped  she  then  and  told  him  : 

"  Evil  is  the  love  thou  bear'st  thy  sister, 

And  thy  gifts  to  her  are  worse  than  wasted ; 

Lo  !  she  has  destroy'd  thy  favourite  falcon." 

Paul  inquired  of  Yelitza,  his  sister, 

"  Tell  me  why,  and  so  may  God  reward  thee !  " 

But  his  sister  swore  both  high  and  loudly  : 

"  'Twas  not  I,  upon  my  life,  my  brother  ; 

On  my  life  and  thine,  I  did  not  do  it !  " 

And  the  brother  still  believed  his  sister. 

When  the  youthful  bride  of  Paul  discover'd 

This,  she  slunk  at  evening, — evening's  meal-time, 

Stole  the  golden  knife,  and  with  it  murder'd, 

Murder'd  her  poor  infant  in  the  cradle ! 

And  when  morning's  dawning  brought  the  morning, 

She  aroused  her  husband  by  her  screaming 

Shrieking  woe  ;  she  tore  her  cheeks,  exclaiming  : 

"  Evil  is  the  love  thou  bear'st  thy  sister, 

And  thy  gifts  to  her  are  worst  than  wasted ; 

She  has  stabb'd  our  infant  in  the  cradle  ! 


207 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Will  thine  incredulity  now  doubt  me  ? 
Lo  !  the  knife  is  in  thy  sister's  girdle." 

Up  sprang  Paul,  like  one  possess'd  by  madness ; 

To  the  upper  floor  he  hastened  wildly ; 

There  his  sister  on  her  mats  was  sleeping, 

And  the  golden  knife  beneath  her  pillow 

Swift  he  seized  the  golden  knife, — and  drew  it — 

Drew  it,  panting,  from  its  silver  scabbard  ;— 

It  was  damp  with  blood — 'twas  red  and  gory  ! 

When  the  noble  Paul  saw  this,  he  seized  her,— 

Seized  her  by  her  own  bright  hand  and  cursed  her 

"  Let  the  curse  of  God  be  on  thee,  sister ! 

Thou  didst  murder,  too,  my  favourite  courser ; 

Thou  didst  murder,  too,  my  noble  falcon ; 

But  thou  should'st  have  spared  the  helpless  baby." 

Higher  yet  his  sister  swore,  and  louder— 
"  Twas  not  I,  upon  my  life,  my  brother ; 
On  my  life  and  on  thy  life,  I  swear  it ! 
But  if  thou  wilt  disregard  my  swearing, 
Take  me  to  the  open  fields — the  desert ; 
Bind  thy  sister  to  the  tails  of  horses ; 
Let  four  horses  tear  my  limbs  asunder." 
But  the  brother  trusted  not  his  sister: 
Furiously  he  seized  her  white  hand — bore  her 
To  the  distant  fields — the  open  desert : 
To  the  tails  of  four  fierce  steeds  he  bound  her, 
And  he  drove  them  forth  across  the  desert ; — 
But,  where'er  a  drop  of  blood  fell  from  her, 
There  a  flower  sprang  up, — a  fragrant  flow'ret ; 
Where  her  body  fell  when  dead  and  mangled, 
There  a  church  arose  from  out  the  desert. 
208 


She  wrung  the  neck  of  Paul's  grey  falcon 


The  Stepsisters 

Little  time  was  spent,  ere  fatal  sickness 

Fell  upon  Paul's  youthful  wife ; — the  sickness 

Nine  long  years  lay  on  her, — heavy  sickness  ! 

'Midst  her  bones  the  matted  dog-grass  sprouted, 

And  amidst  it  nestled  angry  serpents, 

Which,  though  hidden,  drank  her  eyelight's  brightness. 

Then  she  mourn'd  her  misery — mourn'd  despairing ; 

Thus  she  spoke  unto  her  lord  and  husband  : 

"  O  convey  me,  Paul,  my  lord  and  husband ! 

To  thy  sister's  church  convey  me  swiftly ; 

For  that  church,  perchance,  may  heal  and  save  me." 

So,  when  Paul  had  heard  his  wife's  petition, 
To  his  sister's  church  he  swiftly  bore  her. 
Hardly  had  they  reach'd  the  church's  portal, 
When  a  most  mysterious  voice  address' d  them : 
"  Come  not  here,  young  woman !  come  not  hither  I 
For  this  church  can  neither  heal  nor  save  thee." 
Bitter  was  her  anguish  when  she  heard  it ; 
And  her  lord  the  woman  thus  entreated  : 
"In  the  name  of  God !  my  lord  !  my  husband  ! 
Never,  never  bear  me  to  our  dwelling. 
Bind  me  to  the  wild  steeds'  tails,  and  drive  them ; 
Drive  them  in  the  immeasurable  desert ; 
Let  them  tear  my  wretched  limbs  asunder." 

Paul  then  listened  to  his  wife's  entreaties : 
To  the  tails  of  four  wild  steeds  he  bound  her ; 
Drove  them  forth  across  the  mighty  desert. 
Wheresoe'er  a  drop  of  blood  fell  from  her, 
There  sprang  up  the  rankest  thorns  and  nettles. 
Where  her  body  fell,  when  dead,  the  waters 
Rush'd  and  formed  a  lake  both  still  and  stagnant. 

o  209 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

O'er  the  lake  there  swam  a  small  black  courser  : 
By  his  side  a  golden  cradle  floated : 
On  the  cradle  sat  a  young  grey  falcon  : 
In  the  cradle,  slumbering,  lay  an  infant : 
On  its  throat  the  white  hand  of  its  mother : 
And  that  hand  a  golden  knife  was  holding. 

///.   THE  ABDUCTION  OF  THE 

BEAUTIFUL  ICONIA 

Golden  wine  drinks  Theodore  of  Stalatch l 

In  his  Castle  Stalatch,  on  Morava ; 

Pours  him  out  the  wine  his  aged  mother. 

While  the  wine-fumes  to  his  head  were  rising, 

Thus  his  mother  spoke  unto  the  hero  : 

"  Son  of  mine !  thou  Theodore  of  Stalatch ! 

Tell  me,  wherefore  hast  thou  not  espoused  thee  ? 

Thou  art  in  thy  youthful  days  of  beauty : 

In  thy  dwelling  now  thine  aged  mother 

Fain  would  see  thy  children  play  around  her." 

And  he  answer' d — Theodore  of  Stalatch — 

"  God  is  witness,  O  my  aged  mother  ! 

I  have  roamed  through  many  a  land  and  city, 

But  I  never  found  the  sought-for  maiden ; 

Or,  when  found  the  maiden,  found  I  never 

Friendly  feelings  in  thy  mind  towards  her ; 

And  where  thou  hast  shown  thy  friendly  feeling, 

There  I  found  the  maiden  false  and  faithless. 

But,  as  yesterday,  at  hour  of  sunset, 

I  was  wandering  near  Ressava's  river, 

1  A  ruined  fortress  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Morava.  The  same  name 
is  borne  by  a  city  in  Central  Serbia,  situated  not  far  from  the  castle  of 
Theodore. 

210 


The  Abduction  of  the  Beautiful  Iconia 

Lo  1  I  glanced  on  thirty  lovely  maidens 

On  its  banks  their  yarn  and  linen  bleaching : 

'Midst  them  was  the  beauteous  Iconia, 

Fairest  daughter  of  the  Prince  Miloutin, 

He  the  princely  sovereign  of  Resseva. 

She,  indeed,  would  be  a  bride  to  cherish ; 

She,  indeed,  were  worthy  of  thy  friendship : 

But  that  maiden  is  betrothed  already ; 

She  is  promised  unto  George  Irene — 

To  Irene,  for  Sredoi,  his  kinsman. 

But  I'll  win  that  maiden — I  will  win  her, 

Or  will  perish  in  the  deed,  my  mother  !  " 

But  his  mother  counseled  him  and  warn'd  him — 

"  Say  not  so,  my  son  !  the  maid  is  promised ; 

Tis  no  jest !  she  is  of  monarchs'  kindred." 

But  the  hero  cared  not  for  his  mother : 

Loud  he  called  to  Dobrivoy,  his  servant — 

"  Dobrivoy  1  come  hither,  trusty  servant ! 

Bring  my  brown  steed  forth,  and  make  him  ready — 

Make  him  ready  with  the  silver  saddle ; 

Rein  him  with  the  gold-embroider'd  bridle." 

When  the  steed  was  ready,  forth  he  hasten'd, 

Flung  him  on  his  back,  and  spurr'd  him  onward 

To  the  gentle  river  of  Morava, 

Flowing  through  Ressava's  quiet  levels. 

And  he  reach' d  Ressava's  gentle  river : 

There  again  he  saw  the  thirty  maidens — 

There  he  saw  the  beauteous  Iconia. 

Then  the  hero  feign'd  a  sudden  sickness ; 

Ask'd  for  help ;  and  sped  her  courteous  greeting — 

"  God  above  be  with  thee,  lovely  maiden  !  " 

211 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

And  the  loveliest  to  his  words  made  answer, 

"  And  with  thee  be  bliss,  thou  stranger- warrior  1  " 

"  Lovely  maiden  !  for  the  love  of  heaven, 
Wilt  thou  give  me  one  cup  of  cooling  water  ? 
For  a  fiery  fever  glows  within  me ; 
\  From  my  steed  I  dare  not  rise,  fair  maiden  ! 
For  my  steed,  he  hath  a  trick  of  evil — 
Twice  he  will  not  let  his  rider  mount  him." 

Warm  and  earnest  was  the  maiden's  pity, 
And,  with  gentle  voice,  she  thus  addressed  him : 
"  Nay!  not  so — not  so,  thou  unknown  warrior! 
Harsh  and  heavy  is  Ressava's  water ; 
Harsh  and  heavy  e'en  for  healthful  warriors ; 
How  much  worse  for  fever-sickening  tired  ones ! 
Wait,  and  I  a  cup  of  wine  will  bring  thee." 

Swiftly  tripp'd  the  maiden  to  her  dwelling ; 
With  a  golden  cup  of  wine  return'd  she, 
Which  she  reach'd  to  Theodore  of  Stalatch. 
Out  he  stretch'd  his  hand ;  but  not  the  wine  cup, 
But  the  maiden's  hand,  he  seized,  and  flung  her, 
Flung  her  on  his  chestnut  steed  behind  him  : 
Thrice  he  girt  her  with  his  leathern  girdle, 
And  the  fourth  time  with  his  sword-belt  bound  her ; 
And  he  bore  her  to  his  own  white  dwelling. 


312 

4 


CHAPTER  XIV  :  FOLK  LORE 

I.  THE  RAM  WITH  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

ONCE  upon  a  time  when  a  certain  hunter  went 
to  the  mountains  to  hunt,  there  came  toward 
him  a  ram  with  golden  fleece.  The  hunter  took 
his  rifle  to  shoot  it,  but  the  ram  rushed  at  him  and,  before 
he  could  fire,  pierced  him  with  its  horns  and  he  fell  dead. 
A  few  days  later  some  of  his  friends  found  his  body ; 
they  knew  not  who  had  killed  him  and  they  took  the 
body  home  and  interred  it.  The  hunter's  wife  hung  up 
the  rifle  on  the  wall  in  her  cottage,  and  when  her  son 
grew  up  he  begged  his  mother  to  let  him  take  it  and  go 
hunting.  She,  however,  would  not  consent,  saying :  "  You 
must  never  ask  me  again  to  give  you  that  rifle !  It  did 
not  save  your  father's  life,  and  do  you  wish  that  it  should 
be  the  cause  of  your  death  ?  " 

One  day,  however,  the  youth  took  the  rifle  secretly  and 
went  out  into  the  forest  to  hunt.  Very  soon  the  same 
ram  rushed  out  of  a  thicket  and  said:  "I  killed  your 
father ;  now  it  is  your  turn !  "  This  frightened  the  youth, 
and  ejaculating  :  "  God  help  me !  "  he  pressed  the  trigger 
of  his  rifle  and,  lo  !  the  ram  fell  dead. 
The  youth  was  exceedingly  glad  to  have  killed  the  golden- 
fleeced  ram,  for  there  was  not  another  like  it  throughout 
the  land.  He  took  off  its  skin  and  carried  the  fleece 
home,  feeling  very  proud  of  his  prowess.  By  and  by  the 
news  spread  over  the  country  till  it  reached  the  Court, 
and  the  king  ordered  the  young  hunter  to  bring  him  the 
ram's  skin,  so  that  he  might  see  what  kind  of  beasts  were 
to  be  found  in  his  forests.  When  the  youth  brought  the 
skin  to  the  king,  the  latter  said  to  him  :  "  Ask  whatever 
you  like  for  this  skin,  and  I  will  give  you  what  you  ask  !  " 

213 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

But  the  youth  answered :  "  I  would  not  sell  it  for  any- 
thing." 

It  happened  that  the  prime  minister  was  an  uncle  of  the 
young  hunter,  but  he  was  not  his  friend  ;  on  the  contrary, 
he  was  his  greatest  enemy.  So  he  said  to  the  king :  "  As 
he  does  not  wish  to  sell  you  the  skin,  set  him  something 
to  do  which  is  surely  impossible  !  "  The  king  called  the 
youth  back  and  ordered  him  to  plant  a  vineyard  and  to 
bring  him,  in  seven  days'  time,  some  new  wine  from  it. 
The  youth  began  to  weep  and  implored  that  he  might  be 
excused  from  such  an  impossible  task ;  but  the  king 
insisted,  saying:  "If  you  do  not  obey  me  within  seven 
days,  your  head  shall  be  cut  off!  " 

The  Youth  finds  a  Friend 

Still  weeping,  the  youth  went  home  and  told  his  mother 
all  about  his  audience  with  the  king,  and  she  answered : 
"  Did  I  not  tell  you,  my  son,  that  that  rifle  would  cost 
you  your  life  ? "  In  deep  sorrow  and  bewilderment  the 
youth  went  out  of  the  village  and  walked  a  long  way  into 
the  wood.  Suddenly  a  girl  appeared  before  him  and 
asked:  "Why  do  you  weep,  my  brother?"  And  he 
answered,  somewhat  angrily  :  "  Go  your  way !  You  cannot 
help  me  ! "  He  then  went  on,  but  the  maiden  followed 
him,  and  again  begged  him  to  tell  her  the  reason  of  his 
tears,  "  for  perhaps,"  she  added,  "  I  may,  after  all,  be 
able  to  help  you."  Then  he  stopped  and  said :  "  I  will 
tell  you,  but  I  know  that  God  alone  can  help  me."  And 
then  he  told  her  all  that  had  happened  to  him,  and  about 
the  task  he  had  been  set  to  do.  When  she  heard  the 
story,  she  said  :  "  Do  not  fear,  my  brother,  but  go  and 
ask  the  king  to  say  exactly  where  he  would  like  the 
vineyard  planted,  and  then  have  it  dug  in  perfectly 
214 


Why  do  you  weep,  my  brother 


214 


The  Second  Task 

straight  lines.  Next  you  must  go  and  take  a  bag  with  a 
sprig  of  basil  in  it,  and  lie  down  to  sleep  in  the  place 
where  the  vineyard  is  to  be,  and  in  seven  days  you  will 
see  that  there  are  ripe  grapes." 

He  returned  home  and  told  his  mother  how  he  had  met 
a  maiden  who  had  told  him  to  do  a  ridiculous  thing. 
His  mother,  however,  said  earnestly:  "Go,  go,  my  son, 
do  as  the  maiden  bade;  you  cannot  be  in  a  worse  case 
anyhow."  So  he  went  to  the  king  as  the  girl  had  directed 
him,  and  the  king  gratified  his  wish.  However,  he  was 
still  very  sad  when  he  went  to  lie  down  in  the  indicated 
place  with  his  sprig  of  basil. 

When  he  awoke  next  morning  he  saw  that  the  vines  were 
already  planted ;  on  the  second  morning  they  were  clothed 
with  leaves ;  and,  by  the  seventh  day,  they  bore  ripe  grapes. 
Notwithstanding  the  girl's  promise  the  youth  was  surprised 
to  find  ripe  grapes  at  a  time  of  year  when  they  were  no- 
where to  be  found ;  but  he  gathered  them,  made  wine,  and 
taking  a  basketful  of  the  ripe  fruit  with  him,  went  to  the  king. 


Second  Task 
When  he  reached  the  palace,  the  king  and  the  whole  court 
were  amazed.  The  prime  minister  said:  "We  must  order 
him  to  do  something  absolutely  impossible ! "  and  advised 
the  king  to  command  the  youth  to  build  a  castle  of 
elephants'  tusks. 

Upon  hearing  this  cruel  order  the  youth  went  home  weeping 
and  told  his  mother  what  had  transpired,  adding :  "  This, 
my  mother,  is  utterly  impossible !  "  But  the  mother  again 
advised  him,  and  said :  "  Go,  my  son,  beyond  the  village ; 
may  be  you  will  again  meet  that  maiden ! " 
The  youth  obeyed,  and,  indeed,  as  soon  as  he  came  to  the 
place  where  he  had  found  the  girl  before,  she  appeared 

215 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

before  him  and  said :  "  You  are  again  sad  and  tearful, 
my  brother !  "  And  he  began  to  complain  of  the  second 
impossible  task  which  the  king  had  set  him  to  perform. 
Hearing  this,  the  girl  said  :  a  This  will  also  be  easy  ;  but 
first  go  to  the  king  and  ask  him  to  give  you  a  ship  with 
three  hundred  barrels  of  wine  and  as  many  kegs  of  brandy, 
and  also  twenty  carpenters.  Then,  when  you  arrive  at 
such  and  such  a  place,  which  you  will  find  between  two 
mountains,  dam  the  water  there,  and  pour  into  it  all  the 
wine  and  brandy.  Elephants  will  come  down  to  that  spot 
to  drink  water,  and  will  get  drunk  and  fall  on  the  ground. 
Then  your  carpenters  must  at  once  cut  off  their  tusks,  and 
carry  them  to  the  place  where  the  king  wishes  his  castle 
to  be  built.  There  you  may  all  lie  down  to  sleep,  and 
within  seven  days  the  castle  will  be  ready." 
When  the  youth  heard  this,  he  hurried  home,  and  told  his 
mother  all  about  the  plan  of  the  maiden.  The  mother 
was  quite  confident,  and  counselled  her  son  to  do  every- 
thing as  directed  by  the  maiden.  So  he  went  to  the  king 
and  asked  him  for  the  ship,  the  three  hundred  barrels  of 
wine  and  brandy,  as  well  as  the  twenty  carpenters;  and 
the  king  gave  him  all  he  wanted.  Next  he  went  where 
the  girl  had  told  him,  and  did  everything  she  had  advised. 
Indeed,  the  elephants  came  as  was  expected,  drank,  and 
then  duly  fell  down  intoxicated.  The  carpenters  cut  off 
the  innumerable  tusks,  took  them  to  the  chosen  place,  and 
began  building,  and  in  seven  days  the  castle  was  ready. 
When  the  king  saw  this,  he  was  again  amazed,  and  said 
to  his  prime  minister :  "Now  what  shall  I  do  with  him  ? 
He  is  not  an  ordinary  youth  !  God  alone  knows  who  he 
is !  "  Thereupon  the  officer  answered :  "  Give  him  one 
more  order,  and  if  he  executes  it  successfully,  he  will  prove 
that  he  is  a  supernatural  being." 
216 


The  Third  Task 

The  Third  Task 

Thus  he  again  advised  the  king,  who  called  the  youth  and 
said  to  him :  "  I  command  you  to  go  and  bring  me  the 
princess  of  a  certain  kingdom,  who  is  living  in  such  and 
such  a  castle.  If  you  do  not  bring  her  to  me,  you  will 
surely  lose  your  life ! "  When  the  youth  heard  this,  he 
went  straight  to  his  mother  and  told  her  of  this  new  task  ; 
whereupon  the  mother  advised  him  to  seek  his  girl  friend 
once  more.  He  hurried  to  where  beyond  the  village  he  had 
met  the  girl  before,  and  as  he  came  to  the  spot  she  re- 
appeared. She  listened  intently  to  the  youth's  account  of 
his  last  visit  to  the  court,  and  then  said  :  "  Go  and  ask  the 
king  to  give  you  a  galley;  in  the  galley  there  must  be 
made  twenty  shops  with  different  merchandise  in  each ; 
in  each  shop  there  must,  also,  be  a  handsome  youth  to  sell 
the  wares.  On  your  voyage  you  will  meet  a  man  who 
carries  an  eagle ;  you  must  buy  his  eagle  and  pay  for  it 
whatever  price  he  may  ask.  Then  you  will  meet  a  second 
man,  in  a  boat  carrying  in  his  net  a  carp  with  golden 
scales  ;  you  must  buy  the  carp  at  any  cost.  The  third  man 
whom  you  will  meet,  will  be  carrying  a  dove,  which  you 
must  also  buy.  Then  you  must  take  a  feather  from  the 
eagle's  tail,  a  scale  from  the  carp,  and  a  feather  from  the 
left  wing  of  the  dove,  and  give  the  creatures  their  freedom." 
When  you  reach  that  distant  kingdom  and  are  near  the 
castle  in  which  the  princess  resides,  you  must  open  all 
shops  and  order  each  youth  to  stand  at  his  door.  And  the 
girls  who  come  down  to  the  shore  to  fetch  water  are  sure 
to  say  that  no  one  ever  saw  a  ship  loaded  with  such  wonder- 
ful and  beautiful  things  in  their  town  before ;  and  then  they 
will  go  and  spread  the  news  all  over  the  place.  The 
news  will  reach  the  ears  of  the  princess,  who  will  at  once 

217 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

ask  her  father's  permission  to  go  and  visit  the  galley. 
When  she  comes  on  board  with  her  ladies-in-waiting,  you 
must  lead  the  party  from  one  shop  to  another,  and  bring 
out  and  exhibit  before  her  all  the  finest  merchandise  you 
have ;  thus  divert  her  and  keep  her  on  board  your  galley 
until  evening,  then  you  must  suddenly  set  sail ;  for  by  that 
time  it  will  be  so  dark  that  your  departure  will  be  un- 
noticed.    The  princess  will  have  a  favourite  bird  on  her 
shoulder,  and,  when  she  perceives  that  the  galley  is  sailing 
off,  she  will  turn  the  bird  loose  and  it  will  fly  to  the  palace 
with  a  message  to  her  father  of  what  has  befallen  her. 
When  you  see  that  the  bird  has  flown  you  must  burn  the 
eagle's  feather ;   the  eagle  will  appear,  and,  when  you 
command   it  to  catch  the  bird,  it  will  instantly  do  so. 
Next,  the  princess  will  throw  a  pebble  into  the  sea,  and 
the  galley  will  immediately  be  still.     Upon  this  you  must 
burn  the  scale  of  the  carp  at  once ;  the  carp  will  come  to 
you  and  you  must  instruct  it  to  find  the  pebble  and  swallow 
it.     As  soon  as  this  is  done,  the  galley  will  sail  on  again. 
Then  you  will  proceed  in  peace  for  a  while ;  but,  when 
you  reach  a  certain  spot  between  two  mountains,  your 
galley  will  be  suddenly  petrified  and  you  will  be  greatly 
alarmed.     The  princess  will  then  order  you  to  bring  her 
some  water  of  life,  whereupon  you  must  burn  the  feather 
of  the  dove,  and  when  the  bird  appears  you  must  give  it 
a  small  flask  in  which  it  will  bring  you  the  elixir,  after 
which  your  galley  will  sail  on  again  and  you  will  arrive 
home  with  the  princess  without  further  adventure." 
The  youth  returned  to  his  mother  and  she  advised  him  to 
do  as  the  girl  counselled  him.    So  he  went  to  the  king  and 
asked  for  all  that  was  necessary  for  his  undertaking,  and 
the  king  again  gave  him  all  he  asked  for. 
On  his  voyage  everything  was  accomplished  as  the  girl 
218 


The  elephants  came  as  was  expected 


The  Third  Task 

had  foretold,  and  he  succeeded  in  bringing  home  the 
princess  in  triumph.  The  king  and  his  prime  minister 
from  the  balcony  of  the  palace  saw  the  galley  returning, 
and  the  prime  minister  said :  "  Now  you  really  must  have 
him  killed  as  soon  as  he  lands ;  otherwise  you  will  never 
be  able  to  get  rid  of  him  ! " 

When  the  galley  reached  the  port,  the  princess  first  came 
ashore  with  her  ladies-in-waiting ;  then  the  handsome 
young  men  who  had  sold  the  wares,  and  finally  the  youth 
himself.  The  king  had  ordered  an  executioner  to  be  in 
readiness,  and  as  soon  as  the  youth  stepped  on  shore 
he  was  seized  by  the  king's  servants  and  his  head  was 
chopped  off. 

It  was  the  king's  intention  to  espouse  the  beautiful  princess, 
and,  as  soon  as  he  saw  her,  he  approached  her  with  com- 
pliments and  flattery.  But  the  princess  would  not  listen 
to  his  honeyed  words ;  she  turned  away  and  asked : 
"Where  is  my  captor,  who  did  so  much  for  me?"  And, 
when  she  saw  that  his  head  had  been  cut  off,  she  imme- 
diately took  the  small  flask  and  poured  some  of  its  contents 
over  the  body  and,  lo !  the  youth  arose  in  perfect  health. 
When  the  king  and  his  minister  saw  this  marvellous  thing, 
the  latter  said :  "  This  young  man  must  now  be  wiser  than 
ever,  for  was  he  not  dead,  and  has  he  not  returned  to  life  ?  " 
Whereupon  the  king,  desirous  of  knowing  if  it  were  true 
that  one  who  has  been  dead  knows  all  things  .when  he 
returns  to  life,  ordered  the  executioner  to  chop  off  his 
head,  that  the  princess  might  bring  him  to  life  again  by 
the  power  of  her  wonderful  water  of  life. 
But,  when  the  king's  head  was  off,  the  princess  would 
not  hear  of  restoring  him  to  life,  but  immediately  wrote 
to  her  father,  telling  him  of  her  love  for  the  youth  and 
declaring  her  wish  to  marry  him,  and  described  to  her 

219 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

father  all  that  had  happened.  Her  father  replied,  saying 
that  he  approved  of  his  daughter's  choice,  and  he  issued 
a  proclamation  which  stated  that,  unless  the  people  would 
elect  the  youth  to  be  their  ruler,  he  would  declare  war 
against  them.  The  men  of  that  country  immediately 
recognized  that  this  would  be  only  just,  and  so  the  youth 
became  king,  wedded  the  fair  princess,  and  gave  large 
estates  and  titles  to  all  the  handsome  youths  who  had 
helped  him  on  his  expedition. 

//.  A  PA  VI LION  NEITHER  IN  THE 
SKY  NOR  ON  THE  EARTH* 
Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  tsar,  who  had  three  sons 
and  one  daughter.  The  latter  was  kept  in  a  cage  by  her 
father,  for  he  loved  her  as  he  loved  his  own  eyes.  When 
the  girl  grew  up  she  begged  her  father's  permission  to  go 
out  one  evening  with  her  brothers,  and  the  tsar  granted 
her  wish.  No  sooner  had  she  left  the  palace  than  a  dragon 
flew  down,  seized  the  princess  and,  despite  her  brothers, 
disappeared  with  her  into  the  clouds.  The  princes 
hastened  to  tell  their  father  what  had  happened,  and  they 
implored  him  to  let  them  go  in  search  of  their  sister. 
Thereupon  their  unhappy  father  gave  each  of  them  a  horse 
and  other  necessary  equipment  for  a  long  journey,  and 
they  started  out  upon  their  quest.  After  journeying  a  long 
way,  they  sighted  in  the  distance  a  pavilion,  which  was 
neither  in  the  sky  nor  on  the  earth,  but  was  hanging  mid- 
way between.  When  they  came  underneath  this  it 
occurred  to  them  that  their  sister  might  be  hidden  in  it, 
and  they  began  to  consider  how  best  they  might  reach  it. 

1  This  legend  was  written  and  contributed  to  Vouk  St.  Karadgitch  by 
Prince  Michel  Obrenovitch  III,  who  had  heard  it  in  his  childhood 
from  the  lips  of  his  nurse. 

22O 


TheJPrince  slays  the  Dragon 

Finally  they  decided  that  one  of  them  must  kill  his  horse, 
cut  its  hide  into  strips,  make  a  thong,  and,  fastening  one 
end  to  an  arrow,  shoot  it  from  the  bow  so  strongly  that  it 
should  strike  deeply  into  the  framework  of  the  pavilion, 
thus  making  a  way  up  which  they  could  climb. 
The  two  younger  brothers  proposed  to  the  eldest  that  he 
should  kill  his  horse,  but  he  refused.  Neither  would  the 
second  brother  consent  to  do  so  ;  then  the  youngest 
brother,  seeing  that  it  could  not  be  helped,  killed  his 
horse,  made  its  hide  into  a  lengthy  thong,  fixed  one  end 
to  his  arrow,  and  shot  straight  up  to  the  pavilion,  where 
the  arrow  stuck  firmly. 

Next  they  had  to  discuss  who  should  climb  up  the  thong ; 
again  the  two  elder  brothers  refused,  so  it  fell  to  the 
youngest  to  perform  this  exploit.  Being  very  agile,  he 
soon  reached  the  pavilion ;  wandering  from  one  room  to 
another,  he  finally  came  to  an  apartment  where,  to  his  great 
joy,  he  saw  his  sister  sitting  with  the  sleeping  dragon's 
head  on  her  knee.  When  the  princess  beheld  her  brother, 
she  feared  exceedingly  for  his  life,  and  implored  him  to 
escape  before  the  dragon  awoke. 

The  Prince  slays  the  Dragon 

The  courageous  youth,  however,  would  not  obey  his  sister, 
but  seized  his  mace  and  struck  the  dragon  on  the  head. 
The  monster  pointed  with  one  of  his  claws  to  the  place 
where  he  had  been  struck  and  said  to  the  maiden  :  "  Some- 
thing bit  me  here  !  "  Again  the  prince  raised  his  mace 
and  delivered  a  blow  upon  the  monster's  head ;  but  the 
dragon  apparently  did  not  mind,  for  he  pointed  again 
indifferently  to  the  place,  saying  :  "  Again  something  has 
bitten  me  1  " 
The  young  prince  was  on  the  point  of  striking  the  third 

221 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

time,  when  his  sister  pointed  to  a  spot  where  only  the 
dragon  might  receive  a  mortal  wound,  and  directing  his 
blow  upon  the  place  indicated,  the  dragon  instantly 
succumbed.  The  princess  at  once  freed  herself  of  the 
dragon's  head,  ran  swiftly  to  kiss  her  brother,  and  then 
was  eager  to  show  him  the  different  rooms. 
First,  she  took  him  into  a  room  in  which  stood  a  black 
steed  fastened  to  a  stall  and  decked  with  a  saddle  and 
harness  adorned  with  pure  silver.  Next  she  led  him  into 
a  second  room,  where  they  found  a  white  horse,  also  ready 
to  be  mounted,  but  its  harness  was  of  pure  gold.  Then 
she  took  him  into  a  third  room,  where  was  a  beautiful 
Arab  steed  whose  saddle,  stirrups  and  bridle  were  studded 
with  precious  stones. 

The  princess  next  conducted  her  brother  to  a  chamber  in 
which  a  maiden  was  sitting  at  a  golden  tambourette 
engaged  in  embroidering  with  golden  threads.  From 
thence  she  led  him  into  a  second  apartment  where  a  girl 
was  spinning  gold  threads.  At  last  they  entered  a  third 
room  in  which  a  maiden  sat  threading  pearls,  and  before 
her,  upon  a  golden  plate,  was  a  golden  hen  with  its 
chickens,  sorting  the  pearls. 

Having  satisfied  his  curiosity,  the  prince  returned  to  the 
room  where  he  had  left  the  dead  dragon,  and  threw  the 
carcass  down  to  earth ;  and  at  the  mere  sight  of  the 
dragon's  body  the  two  brothers  were  terrified  out  of  their 
wits.  Next  the  prince  slowly  let  down  his  sister,  and, 
after  her,  the  three  maidens,  together  with  their  work. 
While  he  was  thus  engaged  he  shouted  to  his  brothers 
and  made  gestures  indicating  to  whom  each  of  the  girls 
should  belong.  He  reserved  for  himself  the  one  who  had 
been  threading  pearls,  not  forgetting  the  golden  hen  and 
the  chickens. 
222 


Sitting  with  the  sleeping  dragon's  head  on  her  knee  222 


The  Perfidy  of  the  Brothers 

The  Perfidy  of  the  Brothers 

His  brothers,  envying  the  heroism  of  the  young  prince 
and  jealous  of  his  successful  exploits,  were  now  guilty  of  a 
dastardly  trick ;  they  cut  the  thong  in  order  that  he  might 
not  be  able  to  reach  the  earth,  and  taking  their  sister  with 
all  the  booty  they  hurriedly  decamped. 
On  the  way  home  the  princes  met  a  shepherd  watching  his 
sheep,  and  they  prevailed  upon  him  to  disguise  himself 
and  to  impersonate  their  youngest  brother,  ordering  their 
sister  and  the  three  maidens  to  keep  strictly  their  secret. 
Some  time  elapsed,  and  one  day  the  youngest  prince  had 
tidings  that  his  brothers  and  the  disguised  shepherd  were 
on  the  point  of  marrying  the  three  maidens.  This  informa- 
tion seems  to  have  been  singularly  complete,  for  on  the 
day  of  his  eldest  brother's  wedding,  mounted  on  the  black 
steed,  he  flew  down  and  alighted  in  front  of  the  church. 
There  he  awaited  the  moment  for  the  procession  to  come 
out,  and,  as  his  brother  was  preparing  to  mount  his  horse, 
he  approached  him  swiftly,  raised  his  club  and  struck  him 
a  heavy  blow  so  that  he  fell  instantly.  The  young  prince 
then  remounted  the  black  horse  and  was  instantly  trans- 
ported to  the  mysterious  pavilion. 

On  the  wedding-day  of  his  second  brother  the  feat,  this 
time  on  the  white  horse,  was  repeated,  none  guessing  who 
the  strange  aggressor  was. 

Next  came  the  turn  of  the  shepherd.  On  the  day  of  his 
wedding  with  the  third  maiden,  the  young  prince,  mounted 
on  the  Arab,  alighted  in  the  churchyard  just  at  the  moment 
when  the  wedding  procession  started  to  return.  This  time 
he  struck  the  bridegroom  on  the  head  so  heavily  that  he 
fell  dead.  The  guests  hurriedly  alighted  from  their  horses 
and  surrounded  the  prince,  who  made  no  attempt  to  escape, 

223 


Tales  ^2?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

but  revealed  himself  as  the  third  son  of  their  tsar.  He 
told  them  that  the  pretended  prince,  whom  he  had  just  sent 
to  the  other  world,  was  but  a  common  shepherd,  and  that 
his  brothers,  out  of  envy,  had  caused  him  to  remain  in  the 
magic  pavilion  where  he  had  discovered  his  sister  and 
killed  the  dragon.  All  that  he  said  was  immediately  con- 
firmed by  his  sister  and  the  three  maidens.  When  the  tsar 
heard  this  he  was  very  angry  with  his  two  elder  sons, 
and  drove  them  for  ever  from  his  palace.  But  as  for 
his  valiant  youngest  son,  he  united  him  to  the  third 
maiden  and  left  him  the  crown  and  all  he  possessed  when 
he  died. 

///.  PEPELYOUGA 

On  a  high  pasture  land,  near  by  an  immense  precipice, 
some  maidens  were  occupied  in  spinning  and  attending  to 
their  grazing  cattle,  when  an  old  strange-looking  man 
with  a  white  beard  reaching  down  to  his  girdle 
approached,  and  said  :  "  O  fair  maidens,  beware  of  the 
abyss,  for  if  one  of  you  should  drop  her  spindle  down  the 
cliff,  her  mother  would  be  turned  into  a  cow  that  very 
moment !  " 

So  saying  the  aged  man  disappeared,  and  the  girls, 
bewildered  by  his  words,  and  discussing  the  strange 
incident,  approached  near  to  the  ravine  which  had 
suddenly  become  interesting  to  them.  They  peered 
curiously  over  the  edge,  as  though  expecting  to  see  some 
unaccustomed  sight,  when  suddenly  the  most  beautiful  of 
the  maidens  let  her  spindle  drop  from  her  hand,  and  ere 
she  could  recover  it,  it  was  bounding  from  rock  to  rock 
into  the  depths  beneath.  When  she  returned  home  that 
evening  she  found  her  worst  fears  realized,  for  her  mother 
stood  before  the  door  transformed  into  a  cow. 
224 


Pepelyouga 

A  short  time  later  her  father  married  again.     His  new 
wife  was  a  widow,  and  brought  a  daughter  of  her  own 
into    her    new   home.     This    girl   was    not    particularly 
well-favoured,  and  her  mother  immediately  began  to  hate 
her  stepdaughter  because  of  the  latter's  good  looks.     She 
forebade  her  henceforth  to  wash  her  face,  to  comb  her 
hair  or  to  change   her'  clothes,  and   in   every  way  she 
could  think  of  she  sought  to  make  her  miserable. 
One  morning  she  gave  her  a  bag  filled  with  hemp,  saying  : 
"If  you  do  not  spin  this  and   make   a   fine   top   of   it 
by  to-night,  you  need  not  return  home,  for  I  intend  to  kill 
you." 

The  poor  girl,  deeply  dejected,  walked  behind  the  cattle, 
industriously  spinning  as  she  went,  but  by  noon  when  the 
cattle  lay  down  in  the  shade  to  rest,  she  observed  that  she 
had  made  but  little  progress  and  she  began  to  weep 
bitterly. 

Now,  her  mother  was  driven  daily  to  pasture  with  the 
other  cows,  and  seeing  her  daughter's  tears  she  drew  near 
and  asked  why  she  wept,  whereupon  the  maiden  told  her 
all.  Then  the  cow  comforted  her  daughter,  saying :  "  My 
darling  child,  be  consoled !  Let  me  take  the  hemp  into 
my  mouth  and  chew  it;  through  my  ear  a  thread  will 
come  out.  You  must  take  the  end  of  this  and  wind  it 
into  a  top."  So  this  was  done  ;  the  hemp  was  soon  spun, 
and  when  the  girl  gave  it  to  her  stepmother  that  evening, 
she  was  greatly  surprised. 

Next  morning  the  woman  roughly  ordered  the  maiden  to 
spin  a  still  larger  bag  of  hemp,  and  as  the  girl,  thanks  to 
her  mother,  spun  and  wound  it  all  her  stepmother,  on  the 
following  day,  gave  her  twice  the  quantity  to  spin. 
Nevertheless,  the  girl  brought  home  at  night  even  that 
unusually  large  quantity  well  spun,  and  her  stepmother 

p  225 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

concluded  that  the  poor  girl  was  not  spinning  alone,  but 
that  other  maidens,  her  friends,  were  giving  her  help. 
Therefore  she,  next  morning,  sent  her  own  daughter  to 
spy  upon  the  poor  girl  and  to  report  what  she  saw.  The 
girl  soon  noticed  that  the  cow  helped  the  poor  orphan  by 
chewing  the  hemp,  while  she  drew  the  thread  and  wound 
it  on  a  top,  and  she  ran  back  home  and  informed  her 
mother  of  what  she  had  seen.  Upon  this,  the  stepmother 
insisted  that  her  husband  should  order  that  particular  cow 
to  be  slaughtered.  Her  husband  at  first  hesitated,  but  as 
his  wife  urged  him  more  and  more,  he  finally  decided  to 
do  as  she  wished. 

The  Promise 

On  learning  what  had  been  decided,  the  stepdaughter 
wept  more  than  ever,  and  when  her  mother  asked  what 
was  the  matter,  she  told  her  tearfully  all  that  had  been 
arranged.  Thereupon  the  cow  said  to  her  daughter: 
"  Wipe  away  your  tears,  and  do  not  cry  any  more.  When 
they  slaughter  me,  you  must  take  great  care  not  to  eat 
any  of  the  meat,  but  after  the  repast,  carefully  collect  my 
bones  and  inter  them  behind  the  house  under  a  certain 
stone;  then,  should  you  ever  be  in  need  of  help,  come 
to  my  grave  and  there  you  will  find  it." 
The  cow  was  killed,  and  when  the  meat  was  served  the 
poor  girl  declined  to  eat  of  it,  pretending  that  she  had 
no  appetite;  after  the  meal  she  gathered  with  great  care 
all  the  bones  and  buried  them  on  the  spot  indicated  by  her 
mother. 

Now,  the  name  of  the  maiden  was  *  Marra,'  but,  as  she 
had   to   do   the   roughest   work   of  the  house,  such    as 
carrying  water,  washing  and  sweeping,  she  was  called  by 
her  stepmother  and  stepsister  'Pepelyouga'  (Cinderella). 
226 


Marra  goes  to  Church 

One  Sunday,  when  the  stepmother  and  her  daughter 
had  dressed  themselves  for  church,  the  woman  spread 
about  the  house  the  contents  of  a  basketful  of  millet,  and 
said  :  "  Listen,  Pepelyouga ;  if  you  do  not  gather  up  all 
this  millet  and  have  dinner  ready  by  the  time  we  return 
from  church,  I  will  kill  you  1 " 

When  they  had  gone,  the  poor  girl  began  to  weep,  reflect- 
ing, "  As  to  the  dinner  I  can  easily  prepare  it,  but  how  can 
I  possibly  gather  up  all  this  millet?"  But  that  very 
moment  she  recalled  the  words  of  the  cow,  that,  if  she 
ever  should  be  struck  by  misfortune,  she  need  but  walk  to 
the  grave  behind  the  house,  when  she  would  find  instant 
help  there.  Immediately  she  ran  out,  and,  when  she 
approached  the  grave,  lo  !  a  chest  was  lying  on  the  grave 
wide  open,  and  inside  were  beautiful  dresses  and  every- 
thing necessary  for  a  lady's  toilet.  Two  doves  were 
sitting  on  the  lid  of  the  chest,  and  as  the  girl  drew  near, 
they  said  to  her :  "  Marra,  take  from  the  chest  the  dress 
you  like  the  best,  clothe  yourself  and  go  to  church ;  as  to 
the  millet  and  other  work,  we  ourselves  will  attend  to 
that  and  see  that  everything  is  in  good  order !  ", 

Marra  goes  to  Church 

Marra  needed  no  second  invitation;  she  took  the  first 
silk  dress  she  touched,  made  her  toilet  and  went  to 
church,  where  her  entrance  created  quite  a  sensation. 
Everybody,  men  and  women,  greatly  admired  her  beauty 
and  her  costly  attire,  but  they  were  puzzled  as  to  who 
she  was,  and  whence  she  came.  A  prince  happened  to  be 
in  the  church  on  that  day,  and  he,  too,  admired  the 
beautiful  maiden. 

Just  before  the  service  ended,  the  girl  stole  from  the 
church,  went  hurriedly  home,  took  off  her  beautiful 

227 


Tales  ftf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

clothes  and  placed  them  back  in  the  chest,  which  in- 
stantly shut  and  became  invisible.  She  then  rushed  to 
the  kitchen,  where  she  discovered  that  the  dinner  was 
quite  ready,  and  that  the  millet  was  gathered  into  the 
basket.  Soon  the  stepmother  came  back  with  her 
daughter  and  they  were  astounded  to  find  the  millet 
gathered  up,  dinner  prepared,  and  everything  else  in 
order.  A  desire  to  learn  the  secret  now  began  to  tor- 
ment the  stepmother  mightily. 

Next  Sunday  everything  happened  as  before,  except  that 
the  girl  found  in  the  chest  a  silver  dress,  and  that  the 
prince  felt  a  greater  admiration  for  her,  so  much  so  that 
he  was  unable,  even  for  a  moment,  to  take  his  eyes  from  her. 
On  the  third  Sunday,  the  mother  and  daughter  again  pre- 
pared to  go  to  church,  and,  having  scattered  the  millet  as 
before,  she  repeated  her  previous  threats.  As  soon  as 
they  disappeared,  the  girl  ran  straight  to  her  mother's 
grave,  where  she  found,  as  on  the  previous  occasions,  the 
open  chest  and  the  same  two  doves.  This  time  she  found 
a  dress  made  of  gold  lace,  and  she  hastily  clad  herself  in 
it  and  went  to  church,  where  she  was  admired  by  all,  even 
more  than  before.  As  for  the  tsar's  son,  he  had  come 
with  the  intention  not  to  let  her  this  time  out  of  his  sight, 
but  to  follow  and  see  whither  she  went.  Accordingly,  as 
the  service  drew  near  to  its  close,  and  the  maiden  with- 
drew quietly  as  before,  the  enamoured  prince  followed 
after  her.  Marra  hurried  along,  for  she  had  none  too 
much  time,  and,  as  she  went,  one  of  her  golden  slippers 
came  off,  and  she  was  too  agitated  to  stop  and  pick  it  up. 
The  prince,  however,  who  had  lost  sight  of  the  maiden, 
saw  the  slipper  and  put  it  in  his  pocket.  Reaching  home, 
Marra  took  off  her  golden  dress,  laid  it  in  the  chest,  and 
rushed  back  to  the  house. 
228 


Marra  took  off  her  golden  dress 


The  Prince's  Quest 

The  Princes  Quest 

The  prince  now  resolved  to  go  from  house  to  house 
throughout  his  father's  realm  in  search  of  the  owner  of 
the  slipper,  inviting  all  fair  maidens  to  try  on  the  golden 
slipper.  But,  alas!  his  efforts  seemed  to  be  doomed  to 
failure  ;  for  some  girls  the  slipper  was  too  long,  for  others 
too  short,  for  others,  again,  too  narrow.  There  was  no 
one  whom  it  would  fit. 

Wandering  from  door  to  door,  the  sad  prince  at  length 
came  to  the  house  of  Marra's  father.  The  stepmother 
was  expecting  him,  and  she  had  hidden  her  stepdaughter 
under  a  large  trough  in  the  courtyard.  When  the  prince 
asked  whether  she  had  any  daughters,  the  stepmother 
answered  that  she  had  but  one,  and  she  presented  the  girl 
to  him.  The  prince  requested  the  girl  to  try  on  the 
slipper,  but,  squeeze  as  she  would,  there  was  not  room  in 
it  even  for  her  toes  1  Thereupon  the  prince  asked  whether 
it  was  true  that  there  were  no  other  girls  in  the  house,  and 
the  stepmother  replied  that  indeed  it  was  quite  true. 
That  very  moment  a  cock  flew  on  to  the  trough  and 
crowed  out  lustily:  " Kook-oo-ryeh-koooo I  Here  she  is 
under  this  very  trough !  " 

The  stepmother,  enraged,  exclaimed :  "  Sh !  Go  away  j 

May  an  eagle  seize  you  and  fly  off  with  you!"  The 
curiosity  of  the  prince  was  aroused;  he  approached  the 
trough,  lifted  it  up,  and,  to  his  great  surprise,  there  was 
the  maiden  whom  he  had  seen  thrice  in  church,  clad  in 
the  very  same  golden  dress  she  had  last  worn,  and  having 
only  one  golden  slipper. 

When  the  prince  recognized  the  maiden  he  was  overcome 
with  joy.  Quickly  he  tried  the  slipper  on  her  dainty  foot; 
it  not  only  fitted  her  admirably,  but  it  exactly  matched 

229 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

the  one  she  already  wore  on  her  left  foot.  He  lifted  her 
up  tenderly  and  escorted  her  to  his  palace.  Later  he  won 
her  love,  and  they  were  happily  married. 

IV.  ANIMALS'  LANGUAGE 
The  universality  of  folk-lore  is  curiously  illustrated  in  the 
following  tale  which  is  strikingly  like  a  story  native  to 
the  negroes  of  Western  Africa.  In  this  the  hero  is 
granted,  as  a  boon  by  the  King  of  the  Animals,  the  gift 
of  understanding  animal  language;  he  is  warned  that  if 
he  divulges  to  any  that  he  possesses  this  gift  he  will  die  on 
the  instant;  he  is  made  rich  by  the  possession  of  it;  he 
laughs  at  a  conversation  between  animals  which  he 
overhears ;  his  wife  demands  to  know  the  cause  of  his 
laughter.  To  this  point  the  two  stories  are  identical,  but 
in  the  West  African  tale  the  man  divulges  the  secret  and 
pays  the  penalty  with  his  life,  whereas  the  Serbian 
conclusion  is  very  much  less  tame,  as  will  be  seen. 
A  wealthy  peasant  had  a  shepherd,  who  served  him  for 
a  great  number  of  years  most  honestly  and  faithfully. 
One  day,  as  he  drove  his  sheep  through  a  forest  to  the 
pasture,  he  heard  a  hissing  sound,  and  wondered  what  it 
could  be.  Listening  carefully  he  went  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  spot  whence  the  sound  came,  and  he  saw  that  the 
forest  was  on  fire  and  that  the  hissing  proceeded  from  a 
snake  that  was  surrounded  by  flames.  The  shepherd 
watched  to  see  what  the  poor  creature  would  do  in  its 
trouble :  and  when  the  snake  saw  the  shepherd,  it 
exclaimed  from  the  midst  of  the  flames  :  "  O  shepherd, 
I  pray  of  you,  save  me  from  this  fire ! "  Then  the 
shepherd  reached  out  his  crook  and  the  snake  entwined 
itself  swiftly  round  the  stick,  round  his  arm,  on  to  his 
shoulders  and  round  his  neck. 
230 


Animals'  Language 

When  the  shepherd  realized  what  was  happening  he  was 
seized  with  horror,  and  cried  out :  "  What  are  you  about 
to  do,  ungrateful  creature !  Did  I  save  your  life  only  to 
lose  my  own?"  And  the  snake  answered  him:  "Have 
no  fear,  my  saviour !  But  take  me  to  my  father's  house ! 
My  father  is  the  king  of  the  snake- world." 
The  shepherd  endeavoured  to  move  the  snake  to  pity  and 
prayed  it  to  excuse  him,  for  he  could  not  leave  his  sheep. 
Thereupon  the  snake  said  to  him :  "  Be  comforted,  my 
friend  !  Do  not  trouble  about  your  sheep  ;  nothing  amiss 
will  happen  to  them,  but  now  do  hasten  to  my  father's 
house  ! "  So  the  shepherd  went  with  the  snake  round  his 
neck  through  the  forest,  till  he  came  at  length  to  a  door- 
way constructed  entirely  of  serpents.  When  they  came 
near  the  gate,  the  shepherd's  guide  hissed  to  its  servants, 
whereupon  all  the  snakes  instantly  untwined  themselves, 
leaving  a  way  open  for  the  shepherd,  who  passed  through 
unmolested.  Then  the  snake  said  to  its  preserver : 
"  When  we  come  before  my  father  he  will  surely  give 
you,  as  reward  for  your  kindness  to  me,  whatever  you 
may  wish:  gold,  silver  and  precious  stones;  but  you 
should  not  accept  anything  of  that  kind.  I  would  advise 
you  to  ask  for  the  language  of  animals.  He  will  un- 
doubtedly be  opposed  to  your  wish,  but  finally  he  will 
yield." 

They  now  entered  the  apartments  of  the  king,  who,  with 
evident  relief,  inquired :  "  My  son,  where  have  you  been 
all  this  time  ? "  The  reptile  then  told  all  about  the  fire 
in  the  forest  and  of  the  kindness  of  the  shepherd,  who 
had  saved  his  life.  At  this  the  snake-king  turned  with 
emotion  to  the  shepherd  :  "  What  reward  can  I  give  you 
for  having  saved  the  life  of  my  son  ?  "  he  said.  The 
shepherd  answered :  "  I  desire  nothing  but  the  power  of 

231 


Tales  ®f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

understanding  and  speaking  the  language  of  animals." 
But  the  monarch  said  :  "That  is  not  for  you,  for  if  I  give 
you  that  power,  and  you  should  impart  the  secret  to 
another,  you  will  instantly  die.  Therefore  choose  some 
other  gift."  But  the  shepherd  insisted  :  "  If  you  wish  to 
reward  me,  give  me  the  language  of  animals :  if  you  do 
not  care  to  gratify  my  wish,  no  more  need  be  said ;  I  bid 
you  farewell!"  And  indeed  he  turned  to  go,  but  the 
king,  seeing  his  determination,  stopped  him,  exclaiming : 
"  Come  here,  my  friend  !  Since  you  so  strongly  desire 
the  language  of  animals,  the  gift  shall  not  be  withheld ; 
open  your  mouth  1 "  The  shepherd  '  obeyed,  and  the 
snake-king  blew  into  his  mouth,  and  said :  "  Now,  blow 
into  my  mouth  ! "  The  shepherd  did  as  he  was  told,  and 
the  snake-king  blew  a  second  time  in  the  shepherd's 
mouth,  and  then  said :  "  Now  you  have  the  language  of 
animals.  Go  in  peace ;  but  be  sure  not  to  impart  your 
secret  to  another,  else  you  will  die  that  very  moment  1 " 
The  shepherd  took  leave  of  his  friends  and  as  he  returned 
through  the  woods  he  heard  and  understood  everything 
the  birds,  plants  and  other  living  creatures  were  saying 
to  each  other.  When  he  reached  his  flock  and  found  all 
his  sheep  safe  as  had  been  promised,  he  lay  on  the  grass 
to  rest. 

The  Buried  Treasure 

Hardly  had  he  settled  himself,  than  two  ravens  alighted 

on   a   tree  near  by   and   began   to   converse:    "If   this 

shepherd  knew  what  is  under  the  spot  where  that  black 

lamb  is  lying,  he  would  surely  dig  in  the  earth ;  he  would 

discover  a  cave  full  of  silver  and  gold." 

The  shepherd  at  once  went  to  his  master  and  told  him  of 

the  buried  treasure.     The  latter  drove  a  cart  to  the  place 

232 


entwined  itself  swiftly  rjund  his  arm  232 


The  Buried  Treasure 

indicated,  dug  deeply  in  the  earth  and  lo  !  he  found  a 
cave  full  of  silver  and  gold,  the  contents  of  which  he 
placed  in  his  cart  and  carried  home.  This  master  was  an 
honest  and  generous  man,  and  he  gave  the  entire  treasure 
to  his  shepherd,  saying  :  "  Take  this,  my  son  ;  it  was  to 
you  that  God  gave  it !  I  would  advise  you  to  build  a 
house,  to  marry  and  start  some  good  business  with  this 
gold." 

The  shepherd  did  as  his  kindly  master  advised  him,  and, 
little  by  little  he  multiplied  his  wealth  and  became  the 
richest  man,  not  only  in  his  village,  but  in  the  whole 
district.  He  now  hired  his  own  shepherds,  cattle-drivers 
and  swineherds  to  keep  his  great  property  in  good  order. 
One  day,  just  before  Christmas,  he  said  to  his  wife: 
"  Prepare  wine  and  food,  for  to-morrow  we  will  go  to  our 
farms  and  feast  our  servants."  His  wife  did  as  he  bade, 
and  the  next  morning  they  went  to  their  farms,  and  the 
master  said  to  his  men  :  "  Now  come  one  and  all,  eat  and 
drink  together ;  as  for  the  sheep  I  will  myself  watch  them 
to-night." 

So  the  kind  man  went  to  guard  his  sheep.  About  mid- 
night, wolves  began  to  howl  and  his  dogs  barked  a  defiance. 
Said  the  wolves  in  their  own  language  to  the  dogs :  "  Can 
we  come  and  kill  the  sheep  ?  There  will  be  enough  for  you 
also."  Thereupon  the  dogs  answered  in  their  own  tongue : 
"O  come  by  all  means,  we  also  would  like  to  have  a 
feast  1 "  But  amongst  the  dogs  there  was  a  very  old  one 
who  had  only  two  teeth  left.  That  faithful  animal  barked 
furiously  at  the  wolves :  "  To  the  devil  with  you  all !  So 
long  as  I  have  these  two  teeth,  you  shall  not  touch  my 
master's  sheep ! "  And  the  master  heard  and  understood 
every  word  they  uttered.  Next  morning  he  ordered  his 
servants  to  kill  all  his  dogs,  except  the  old  one.  The 

233 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

servants  began  to  implore  their  master,  saying :  "  Dear 
master,  it  is  a  pity  to  kill  them ! "  But  the  master  would 
not  suffer  any  remonstrance,  and  sternly  ordered  :  "  Do  as 
I  bid  you  !  "  Then  he  and  his  wife  mounted  their  horses 
and  started  for  home,  he  on  a  horse  and  she  on  a  mare. 
As  they  journeyed,  the  horse  left  the  mare  a  little  behind 
and  he  neighed,  saying :  "  Hurry  up,  why  do  you  dawdle 
behind?  "  And  the  mare  answered  :  "  Eh,  it  is  not  hard 
for  you — you  are  carrying  only  your  master,  and  I  am 
carrying  a  despotic  woman  whose  rules  are  a  burden  to 
the  whole  household." 

The  Importunate  Wife 

Hearing  this,  the  master  turned  his  head  and  burst  into 
laughter.  His  wife  noticing  his  sudden  mirth,  spurred  on 
her  mare,  and  when  she  reached  her  husband  she  asked 
him  why  he  had  laughed.  He  answered :  "  There  is  no 
reason,  I  just  laughed."  But  the  woman  was  not  satisfied 
with  this  reply  and  would  not  give  her  husband  any  peace. 
He  endeavoured  in  vain  to  excuse  himself,  saying :  "  Don't 
keep  on  asking  me ;  if  I  tell  you  the  true  reason  why  I 
laughed,  I  shall  instantly  die!  "  But  she  did  not  believe 
her  husband,  and  the  more  he  refused  to  tell  her,  the  more 
she  insisted  that  he  should  do  so,  until  at  last  the  poor 
man  v/as  worn  out  by  her  persistence. 
Directly  they  arrived  home,  therefore,  the  man  ordered  a 
coffin  to  be  made,  and,  when  it  was  ready  and  he  had  it 
placed  in  front  of  the  house-door,  he  said  to  his  wife : 
"  I  shall  lie  down  in  this  coffin,  for  the  moment  I  tell  you 
why  I  laughed,  I  shall  die."  So  he  laid  himself  in  the 
coffin,  and  as  he  took  a  last  look  around,  he  saw  his 
faithful  old  dog,  coming  from  the  fields.  The  poor  animal 
approached  his  master's  coffin  and  sat  near  his  head  howl- 
234 


The  Stepmother  and  her  Stepdaughter 

ing  with  grief.  When  the  master  saw  this,  he  requested 
his  wife  to  give  it  food.  The  woman  brought  bread  and 
gave  it  to  the  dog,  who  would  not  even  look  at  it,  still  less 
eat  it.  The  piece  of  bread  attracted  a  cock,  which  came 
forward  and  began  to  peck  at  it;  the  dog  reproached  him 
saying:  "You  insatiable  creature  !  You  think  of  nothing 
but  food,  and  you  fail  to  see  that  our  dear  master  is  about 
to  die!" 

To  this  reprimand  the  cock  retorted  :  "  Let  him  die,  since 
he  is  such  a  foolish  man !  I  have  a  hundred  wives,  and  I 
gather  them  all  round  a  grain  of  corn,  which  I  happen  to 
find;  and  then,  when  they  have  all  assembled,  I  swallow 
it  myself !  If  any  of  them  should  protest,  I  just  peck  at 
them ;  but  he,  the  fool,  is  not  able  to  rule  a  single  wife." 
At  this  the  man  jumped  out  of  the  coffin,  took  a  stick  and 
called  to  his  wife :  "  Come  in  the  house,  wife,  and  I  shall 
tell  you  why  I  laughed  !  " 

Seeing  the  obvious  intention  of  her  husband,  the  woman 
begged  him  to  desist,  and  promised  that  nevermore  would 
she  be  curious,  or  try  to  pry  into  his  affairs.  ^_^.  /*—  ^ 

V.  THE  STEPMOTHER  AND  HER*^ 
STEPDA  UGHTER 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  girl  who  lived  with  her 
stepmother.  The  woman  hated  her  stepdaughter  ex- 
ceedingly, because  she  was  more  beautiful  than  her  own 
daughter,  whom  she  had  brought  with  her  to  the  house. 
She  did  her  utmost  to  turn  the  poor  girl's  own  father 
against  her,  and  with  such  success  that  he  soon  began  to 
scold  and  even  to  hate  his  own  child. 
One  day  the  woman  said  to  her  husband:  "We  must 
send  your  daughter  away.  She  must  go  into  the  world  to 
seek  her  fortune ! "  And  he  answered :  "  How  can  we 

235 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

send  the  poor  girl  away?  Where  could  she  go  alone?" 
But  the  wicked  stepmother  replied  :  "  To-morrow  you 
must  take  her  far  into  the  woods,  leave  her  there  and 
hurry  home,  or  I  will  no  longer  live  with  you." 
The  unfortunate  father  at  length  gave  way,  and  said :  "  At 
least  prepare  the  girl  something  for  her  journey,  that  she 
may  not  die  of  hunger."  The  stepmother  therefore  made 
a  cake,  and  gave  it  to  the  girl  next  morning  as  she  was 
leaving  the  house.  The  man  and  his  daughter  trudged  on 
until  they  were  right  in  the  depth  of  the  woods,  and  then 
the  father  stole  away  and  returned  home. 
The  girl,  alone  in  the  woods,  wandered  all  the  rest  of  that 
day  in  search  of  a  path,  but  could  not  find  one.  Mean- 
while it  grew  darker  and  darker,  and  at  length  she  climbed 
a  tree,  fearing  lest  some  wild  beast  should  devour  her  if 
she  remained  through  the  night  on  the  ground.  And 
indeed,  all  night  long  the  wolves  howled  under  the  tree 
so  ravenously  that  the  poor  girl,  in  her  nervous  terror, 
could  hardly  keep  from  falling. 

Next  morning  she  descended  the  tree  and  wandered  on 
again  in  search  of  some  way  out,  but  the  more  she  walked 
the  denser  grew  the  forest,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  end 
to  it.  When  it  grew  dark  again,  she  looked  about  for 
another  suitable  tree  in  the  branches  of  which  she  might 
safely  pass  the  night,  but  suddenly  she  noticed  something 
shining  through  the  darkness.  She  thought  it  might, 
perhaps,  be  a  dwelling,  and  she  went  toward  it.  And 
indeed,  she  came  soon  to  a  large  fine  house,  the  doors  of 
which  were  open.  She  entered,  and  saw  many  elegant 
rooms,  in  one  of  which  was  a  large  table  with  lights 
burning  on  it.  She  thought  this  must  be  the  dwelling  of 
brigands,  but  she  had  no  fear  at  all,  for  she  reasoned  with 
herself :  "  Only  rich  people  need  fear  robbers ;  I,  a  poor 
236 


A  Strange  Dwelling 

simple  girl,  have  nothing  to  be  afraid  of ;  I  shall  tell 
them  that  I  am  ready  to  work  for  them  gladly  if  they  will 
give  me  something  to  eat." 

A  Strange  Dwelling 

Then  she  took  the  cake  from  her  bag,  made  the  sign  of 
the  cross1  and  began  her  meal.  No  sooner  had  she 
begun  to  eat  than  a  cock  appeared  and  flew  near  her  as  if 
begging  for  a  share.  The  good  girl  crumbled  a  piece  of 
her  cake  and  fed  him.  Shortly  afterward  a  little  dog 
came  and  began  in  his  own  way  to  express  friendly 
feeling  toward  her.  The  girl  broke  another  piece  of  her 
cake,  gently  took  the  little  dog  in  her  lap,  and  began 
feeding  and  caressing  it.  After  that  a  cat  came  in  too, 
and  she  did  the  same  with  her. 

Suddenly  she  heard  a  loud  growling,  and  she  was  terrified 
to  see  a  lion  coming  toward  her.  The  great  beast  waved 
his  tail  in  such  a  friendly  manner,  and  looked  so  very 
kind,  however,  that  her  courage  revived,  and  she  gave 
him  a  piece  of  her  cake,  which  the  lion  ate ;  and  then  he 
began  to  lick  her  hand.  This  proof  of  gratitude  reassured 
the  girl  completely,  and  she  stroked  the  lion  gently,  and 
gave  him  more  of  the  cake. 

All  at  once  the  girl  heard  a  great  clashing  of  weapons, 
and  nearly  swooned  as  a  creature  in  a  bear-skin  entered 
the  room.  The  cock,  the  dog,  the  cat  and  the  lion  all  ran 
to  meet  it,  and  frisked  about  it  affectionately,  showing 
many  signs  of  pleasure  and  rejoicing.  She,  poor  creature, 
did  not  think  this  strange  being  could  be  anything  but 
cruel,  and  expected  it  would  spring  upon  her  and  devour 
her.  But  the  seeming  monster  threw  the  bear-skin  from 

1  The  Christians  of  the  Balkans  usually  make  the  sign  of  the  cross 
before  and  after  every  meal. 

237 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

its  head  and  shoulders,  and  at  once  the  whole  room 
gleamed  with  the  magnificence  of  its  golden  garments. 
The  girl  almost  lost  her  senses  when  she  saw  before  her  a 
handsome  man  of  noble  appearance.  He  approached  her 
and  said  :  "  Do  not  fear  !  I  am  not  a  lawless  man,  I  am 
the  tsar's  son;  and  when  I  wish  to  hunt,  I  usually  come 
here,  disguised  in  this  bear-skin,  lest  the  people  should 
recognize  me.  Save  you,  no  one  knows  that  I  am  a  man ; 
people  think  I  am  an  apparition,  and  flee  from  me.  No 
one  dares  to  pass  near  this  house,  still  less  to  enter  it,  for 
it  is  known  that  I  dwell  in  it.  You  are  the  first  who  has 
ventured  to  come  in ;  probably  you  knew  that  I  was  not 
a  ghost  ?  " 

Thereupon  the  girl  told  the  prince  all  about  her  wicked 
stepmother,  and  declared  that  she  knew  nothing  of  this 
dwelling  or  who  lived  in  it.  When  the  young  prince 
heard  her  story,  moved  with  indignation  and  pity,  he 
said  :  "  Your  stepmother  hated  you,  but  God  loved  you. 
I  love  you  very  much,  too,  and  if  you  feel  you  could 
return  my  love,  I  would  like  to  marry  you — will  you  be 
my  wife?  "  "  Yes,"  replied  the  maiden. 
Next  morning  the  prince  took  the  girl  to  his  father's 
palace  and  they  were  married.  After  some  time  the 
prince's  bride  begged  to  be  allowed  to  go  and  pay  a  visit 
to  her  father.  The  prince  gladly  allowed  her  to  do  as 
she  wished,  and  donning  a  fine  robe  embroidered  with 
gold  she  went  to  her  old  home.  Her  father  happened  to 
be  absent,  and  her  stepmother,  seeing  her  coming,  feared 
that  she  had  come  to  revenge  herself;  therefore  she 
hurried  out  to  meet  her,  saying :  "  You  see  now  that  I 
sent  you  on  the  road  of  happiness?"  The  stepdaughter 
embraced  the  woman  and  kissed  her ;  she  also  embraced 
her  stepsister.  Then  she  sat  down  to  await  her  father's 

238 


The  Envy  of  the  Stepmother 

return,  but  at  length,  as  he  did  not  come,  she  was  compelled 
reluctantly  to  leave  without  seeing  him.  On  going  away 
she  gave  much  money  to  her  stepmother,  nevertheless 
when  she  had  got  some  distance  from  the  house,  the  un- 
grateful woman  steathily  shook  her  fist  at  her,  muttering : 
"  Wait  a  little,  you  accursed  creature,  you  shall  certainly 
not  be  the  only  one  so  elegantly  dressed;  to-morrow  I 
shall  send  my  own  daughter  the  same  way!  " 

The  Envy  of  the  Stepmother 

The  husband  did  not  return  until  late  in  the  evening, 
when  his  wife  met  him,  saying:  "Listen,  husband!  I 
propose  that  my  own  daughter  should  be  sent  out  into 
the  world  that  she  may  also  seek  her  fortune ;  for  your 
girl  came  back  to  visit  us  to-day  and  lo  !  she  was  glitter- 
ing in  gold."  The  man  sighed  and  agreed. 
Next  morning  the  woman  prepared  for  her  daughter 
several  cakes  and  some  roast  meat  and  sent  her  with  the 
father  into  the  forest.  The  unfortunate  man  guided  her 
as  he  had  led  his  own  daughter,  into  the  heart  of  the 
forest,  and  then  stole  off  leaving  her  alone.  When  the 
girl  saw  that  her  father  had  disappeared  she  walked 
on  slowly  through  the  woods,  till  she  came  to  the 
gates  of  the  same  house  in  which  her  stepsister  had 
found  happiness.  She  entered,  closed  the  door  and  re- 
solved not  to  open  it  for  anybody.  Then  she  took  a 
cake  out  of  her  bag  and  began  her  meal.  Meanwhile  the 
cock,  the  dog  and  the  cat  came  in,  and  began  to  frisk 
about  her  playfully  expecting  that  she  would  give  them 
something  to  eat,  but  she  exclaimed  angrily :  "  Get  away, 
you  ugly  creatures  1  I  have  hardly  enough  for  myself ; 
I  will  not  give  you  any !  "  Then  she  began  to  beat  them ; 
whereat  the  dog  howled,  and  the  lion,  hearing  his  friend's 

239 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

lamentation,  rushed  in   furiously  and  killed  the  unkind 
girl. 

Next  morning  the  prince  rode  out  with  his  wife  to  hunt. 
They  came  to  the  house,  and  saw  what  had  happened, 
and  when  the  princess  recognized  her  stepsister's  dress, 
she  gathered  up  the  torn  garment  and  carried  it  to  her 
father's  house.  This  time  she  found  her  father  at  home, 
and  he  was  indeed  very  happy  to  learn  that  his  dear 
daughter  was  married  to  a  handsome  prince.  When, 
however,  he  heard  what  had  befallen  his  wife's  daughter 
he  was  sad  indeed,  and  exclaimed  :  "  Her  mother  has 
deserved  this  punishment  from  the  hand  of  God,  because 
she  hated  you  without  reason.  She  is  at  the  well,  I  will 
go  and  tell  her  the  sad  news." 

When  his  wife  heard  what  had  happened,  she  said: 
"  O  husband  !  I  cannot  bear  the  sight  of  your  daughter; 
let  us  kill  both  her  and  the  tsar's  son  !  Do  this  thing  or 
I  will  jump  at  once  into  the  well."  The  man  indignantly 
answered  :  "  Well  then,  jump !  I  shall  not  murder  my 
own  child !  " 

And  the  wicked  woman  said :  "  If  you  cannot  kill  her,  I 
cannot  bear  to  look  at  her !  "  Thereupon  she  jumped 
into  the  well  and  was  killed. 

VI.  JUSTICE  AND  INJUSTICE 
There  was  a  king  who  had  two  sons,  one  of  whom 
was  cunning  and  unjust,  and  the  other  good  and  just.  In 
due  time  the  king  died,  and  the  unjust  son  said  to  his 
brother  :  "As  you  are  younger  than  I,  you  cannot  expect 
me  to  share  the  throne  with  you,  so  you  had  better  go 
away  from  the  palace.  Take  these  three  hundred 
tzechins l  and  a  horse  to  ride  :  this  is  to  be  your  share  of 

1  A  golden  coin  worth  about  IQS. 
240 


Justice  SP  Injustice 

the  inheritance."  The  younger  brother  took  the  gold  and 
his  horse,  and  reflecting  he  said :  "  God  be  praised  1 
How  much  of  the  entire  kingdom  has  fallen  to  me !  " 
Some  time  later  the  two  brothers  met  by  chance  on  a 
road,  and  the  younger  saluted  the  elder  thus  :  "  God  help 
you,  brother  !  "  And  the  elder  answered :  "  May  God  send 
you  a  misfortune!  Why  do  you  for  ever  mention  the 
name  of  God  to  me?  Injustice  is  better  than  justice." 
Thereupon  the  good  brother  said  :  "  I  wager  that  injustice 
is  not  better  than  justice  !  " 

So  they  laid  as  a  wager  one  hundred  tzechins  and  agreed 
to  accept  the  decision  of  the  first  passer-by  whom  they 
should  happen  to  meet.  Riding  on  a  little  farther  they 
met  Satan,  who  had  disguised  himself  as  a  monk,  and 
they  requested  him  to  decide  their  contest.  Satan  im- 
mediately answered  that  injustice  is  better  than  justice; 
so  the  just  brother  lost  one  hundred  tzechins.  Then  they 
made  another  wager  in  the  same  sum,  and  again  a  third ; 
and  each  time  the  Devil — differently  disguised  on  each 
occasion — pronounced  for  injustice.  Finally  the  good 
brother  lost  even  his  horse :  but  he  was  quite  unconvinced 
and  he  reflected  :  "  Ah,  well !  I  have  lost  all  my  tzechins. 
it  is  true,  but  I  have  still  my  eyes,  and  I  shall  wager  my 
eyes  this  time."  So  they  made  the  bet  once  more,  but  the 
unjust  brother  did  not  even  wait  anybody's  arbitration,  he 
took  out  his  poniard  and  pierced  his  brother's  eyes,  saying : 
"  Now,  let  justice  help  you,  when  you  have  no  eyes ! " 
The  poor  youth  said  to  his  cruel  brother :  "  I  have  lost 
my  eyes  for  the  sake  of  God's  justice,  but  I  pray  you,  my 
brother,  give  me  a  little  water  in  a  vessel  that  I  may 
wash  my  wounds  and  take  me  under  the  pine-tree,  near 
the  spring  1 "  The  unjust  brother  did  as  he  was  asked 
and  then  departed. 

Q  241 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Healing  Water 

The  unfortunate  youth  sat  without  moving  until  late  in 
the  night,  when  some  veele  came  to  the  spring  to  bathe, 
and  he  heard  one  of  them  say  to  her  sisters :  "  Do  you 
know,  O  sisters,  that  the  royal  princess  suffers  from 
leprosy,  and  the  king,  her  father,  has  consulted  all  the 
famous  physicians,  but  no  one  can  cure  her  ?  But  if  the 
king  knew  the  healing  qualities  of  this  water,  he  would 
surely  take  a  little  and  bathe  his  daughter  with  it,  and  she 
would  recover  perfect  health."  When  the  cocks  began  to 
crow,  the  veele  disappeared  and  the  prince  crept  to  the 
spring  to  test  its  wonderful  properties.  He  bathed  his 
eyes,  and  lo  !  his  sight  was  instantly  restored ;  then  he 
filled  his  vessel  with  the  water,  and  hurried  to  the  king, 
whose  daughter  was  suffering  from  leprosy.  Arriving  at 
the  palace  he  told  the  officers  on  guard  that  he  could  cure 
the  princess  in  a  day  and  a  night.  The  officers  informed 
the  king,  who  at  once  allowed  him  to  try  his  method  and  the 
suffering  princess  was  restored.  This  pleased  the  king  so 
much  that  he  gave  the  young  prince  half  of  his  kingdom, 
as  well  as  his  daughter  for  his  wife.  So  the  just  brother 
became  the  king's  son-in-law,  and  a  Councillor  of  State. 
The  tidings  of  this  great  event  spread  all  over  the  king- 
dom, and  finally  came  to  the  ears  of  the  unjust  prince. 
He  thought  that  his  brother  must  have  found  his  good 
fortune  under  the  pine-tree,  so  he  went  there  himself  to 
try  his  luck.  Arrived  there,  he  pierced  his  own  eyes. 
Late  in  the  night,  the  veele  came  to  bathe,  and  the  prince 
heard  them  discuss  with  astonishment  the  recovery  of  the 
royal  princess.  "Some  one  must  have  spied  upon  us," 
said  one  of  them,  "  when  we  discussed  about  the  qualities 
which  this  water  possesses  ;  perhaps  somebody  is  watching 
242 


The  veele  came  to  the  spring  to  bathe 


242 


He  who  asks  Little  receives  Much 

us  even  now.  Let  us  look  around  us  1 "  When  they 
came  under  the  pine-tree,  they  found  there  the  young  man 
who  had  come  seeking  good  fortune,  and  they  immedi- 
ately tore  him  into  four. 

And  thus  was  the  wicked  prince  recompensed  for  his 
injustice. 

VII.  HE  WHO  ASKS  LITTLE 
RECEIVES  MUCH 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  three  brothers,  who  instead 
of  much  property  had  only  a  pear-tree.  Each  would  watch 
that  tree  in  turn,  whilst  the  other  two  went  away  from 
home  to  work  for  hire.  One  night  God  sent  His  angel 
to  see  how  the  brothers  lived,  and,  should  they  be  in 
misery,  to  improve  their  position.  The  angel  came  dis- 
guised as  a  beggar,  and  when  he  found  one  of  the  brothers 
watching  the  tree,  he  went  forward  and  asked  him  for  a 
pear.  The  youth  plucked  some  of  the  fruit  from  his  own 
part  of  the  tree,  handed  them  to  the  beggar,  and  said : 
"  Accept  these  pears  from  my  share  of  the  tree,  but  I  cannot 
give  you  those  belonging  to  my  brothers."  The  angel  took 
the  fruit,  thanked  the  youth,  and  disappeared. 
The  next  day  it  was  the  turn  of  the  second  brother  to 
watch  the  fruit,  and  the  angel,  again  in  the  semblance  of  a 
beggar,  came  and  asked  for  a  pear.  This  brother  likewise 
gave  from  his  own  part  of  the  tree,  saying  :  "  Take  these, 
they  are  my  own ;  but  of  those  belonging  to  my  brothers 
I  dare  not  offer  you."  The  angel  took  the  fruit  gratefully 
and  departed. 

The  third  brother  had  a  similar  experience. 
When  the  fourth  day  came,  the  angel  disguised  himself  as 
a  monk,  and  came  very  early  so  that  he  could  find  all  three 
brothers  at  home,  and  he  said  to  the  youths  :  "Come  with 

243 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

me,  I  shall  improve  your  state  of  life,"  whereupon  they 
obeyed  without  question. 

Soon  they  arrived  at  a  river  where  the  water  was  flowing 
in  torrents,  and  the  angel  asked  the  eldest  brother :  "  What 
would  you  like  to  have  ?  "  He  answered :  "  I  should  like 
all  this  water  to  be  changed  into  wine  and  to  belong  to 
me."  The  angel  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  with  his 
stick,  and  lo !  wine  was  flowing  instead  of  water,  and  that 
very  moment  there  appeared  on  the  banks  of  the  streamlet 
many  barrels,  and  men  filling  them  with  wine  ;  in  one  word, 
there  was  a  whole  village.  Then  the  angel  turned  again 
to  the  young  man  and  said  :  "  Here  is  what  you  wished  ; 
farewell !  "  and  he  continued  his  journey  with  the  others. 
The  three  went  on  till  they  came  to  a  field  where  they 
saw  numbers  of  doves,  and  the  angel  asked  the  second 
brother :  "  Now,  what  is  it  that  you  would  like  ?  "  And  he 
answered  :  "I  should  like  all  these  doves  to  be  changed 
into  sheep,  and  to  be  mine ! "  The  angel  again  made  the 
sign  of  the  cross  in  the  air,  and  lo !  sheep  instead  of  doves 
covered  the  field.  Suddenly  there  appeared  many  dairies  ; 
maidens  were  busy  milking  the  sheep,  others  pouring  out 
the  milk,  others  again  making  cream.  There  was  also  a 
slaughter-house,  and  men  busy,  some  cutting  the  meat 
into  joints,  others  weighing  it,  others  again  selling  the 
meat  and  receiving  the  money  for  it.  Then  the  angel 
said  :  "  Here  is  all  you  wished  for ;  farewell ! " 
The  angel  now  proceeded  with  the  youngest  brother,  and 
having  crossed  the  field  he  asked  him  what  he  would  like 
to  have.  The  young  man  answered :  "  I  should  consider 
myself  the  happiest  of  men  if  God  were  graciously  pleased 
to  grant  me  a  wife  of  pure  Christian  blood  !  "  Thereupon 
the  angel  replied :  "  Oh,  that  is  rather  difficult  to  find  ;  in 
the  whole  world  there  are  but  three  such  women,  two  of 
244 


The  Angel  Returns 

whom  are  married.  The  youngest  is  a  maid,  it  is  true, 
but  she  is  already  sought  in  marriage  by  two  wooers." 
Journeying  on,  they  came  to  a  city  where  a  mighty  tsar 
dwelt  with  his  daughter.  She,  indeed,  was  of  pure 
Christian  blood.  The  travellers  entered  the  palace  and 
found  two  princes  already  there  with  their  wedding  apples1 
laid  upon  a  table.  Then  the  young  man  also  placed  his 
apple  on  the  table.  When  the  tsar  saw  the  newcomers  he 
said  to  those  around  him:  "What  shall  we  do  now? 
Those  are  imperial  princes,  and  these  men  look  like 
beggars  1  "  Thereupon  the  angel  said  :  "Let  the  contest 
be  decided  thus  :  the  princess  shall  plant  three  vines  in 
the  garden,  dedicating  one  to  each  of  the  three  wooers ; 
and  he  on  whose  vine  grapes  are  found  next  morning,  is  to 
be  the  one  whom  the  princess  shall  marry ! "  This  plan 
was  agreed  to  by  all,  and  the  princess  accordingly  planted 
three  vines. 

When  the  next  morning  dawned,  lo!  grapes  hung  in 
clusters  on  the  vine  dedicated  to  the  poor  man.  So  the 
tsar  could  not  refuse  his  daughter  to  the  youngest  brother. 
After  the  marriage,  the  angel  led  the  young  couple  to  the 
forest,  where  he  left  them  for  a  full  year. 

The  Angel  Returns 

Then  God  sent  again  His  angel,  saying:  "Go  down  to 
earth  and  see  how  those  poor  ones  are  living  now  :  if  they 
are  in  misery,  it  may  be  you  will  be  able  to  improve  their 
condition !  "  The  angel  obeyed  immediately,  and  disguising 
himself  again  as  a  beggar,  he  went  first  to  the  eldest  brother 
and  asked  him  for  a  glass  of  wine.  But  the  rich  man  refused, 
saying  :  "  If  I  were  to  give  every  one  a  glass  of  wine,  there 

1  The  apple  is  a  symbolic  gift,  which  a  wooer  offers  to  the  maiden  of 
his  choice. 

245 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

would  be  none  left  for  myself!"  Upon  this  the  angel 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross  with  his  stick,  and  the  stream 
began  instantly  to  flow  with  water  as  before.  Then  he 
turned  to  the  man  and  said:  "This  was  not  for  you;  go 
back  under  the  pear-tree  and  continue  to  guard  it ! " 
Then  the  angel  went  on  to  the  second  brother,  whose  fields 
were  covered  with  sheep,  and  asked  him  for  a  slice  of 
cheese  ;  but  the  rich  man  refused,  saying :  "  If  I  were  to 
give  everybody  a  slice  of  cheese,  there  would  be  none  left 
for  myself  1 "  Again  the  angel  made  the  sign  of  the  cross 
with  his  stick,  and  lo  !  all  the  sheep  turned  instantly  into 
doves,  who  flew  away.  Then  he  said  to  the  second  brother : 
"  Of  a  surety  that  was  not  for  you,  go  under  the  pear-tree 
and  watch  it  I " 

Finally  the  angel  went  to  the  youngest  brother  in  order  to 
see  how  he  was  living,  and  found  him  with  his  wife  in  the 
forest,  dwelling  as  a  poor  man  in  a  hut.  He  begged  to 
be  admitted  into  their  hut,  and  to  pass  the  night  there. 
They  welcomed  him  very  cordially,  but  they  explained  that 
they  could  not  entertain  him  as  well  as  they  would  like  to 
do.  "We  are,"  they  added,  "very  poor  people."  To 
which  the  angel  answered :  "  Do  not  speak  so,  I  shall  be 
quite  content  with  what  you  have ! "  They  wondered  then 
what  to  do,  for  there  was  no  corn  in  their  hut  to  make  real 
bread ;  they  usually  ground  the  bark  of  certain  trees  and 
made  bread  from  it.  Such  bread  the  wife  now  made 
for  their  guest,  and  placed  it  in  the  oven  to  bake.  When 
she  came  later  to  inspect  her  baking,  she  was  pleasantly 
surprised  to  find  a  fine  loaf  of  real  bread. 
When  the  couple  saw  this  wonder  they  lifted  their  hands 
toward  heaven  and  gave  thanks :  "  We  thank  thee,  O 
God !  that  we  are  now  able  to  entertain  our  guest !  "  After 
they  had  placed  the  bread  before  their  guest,  they  brought 
246 


;  •  5'  *  '•'•  »  :• 

•„«  : :  %  .      •• 

,'*  ••»>•>"•'»•; 

•.,. ,'          ;'  '•  ?K1I»*'S« 


¥ 


instantly  rose  a  beautiful  palace 


246 


Bash  Tchelik  or  Real  Steel 

a  vessel  of  water,  and  lo !  when  they  came  to  drink,  they 
found  it  was  wine. 

Then  the  angel  once  more  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  with 
his  stick  over  the  hut,  and  on  that  spot  instantly  rose  a 
beautiful  palace,  containing  an  abundance  of  everything. 
Then  the  angel  blessed  the  couple  and  disappeared.  The 
modest  and  pious  man  and  woman  lived  there  happily 
ever  after. 

VIII.  BASH  TCHELIK  OR  REAL  STEEL 
There  lived  once  a  tsar  who  had  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  When  old  age  overtook  him  and  the  hour 
came  for  him  to  die  he  called  his  children  to  him,  and 
desired  his  sons  to  give  their  sisters  to  the  first  wooers 
who  might  ask  them  in  marriage.  "  Do  as  I  tell  you," 
added  the  dying  tsar,  "  or  dread  my  curse  ! " 
Shortly  after  the  tsar  had  passed  away  there  came  one 
night  a  fearful  knocking  at  the  palace  gate,  so  that  the 
whole  building  shook,  and  a  great  roaring,  screaming, 
and  blowing  was  heard ;  it  seemed  as  if  the  palace  was 
assailed  by  some  awful  tempest.  All  the  courtiers  were 
seized  with  unspeakable  fear,  and  suddenly  a  voice  from 
outside  was  heard  :  "  O  princes,  open  the  door  1 "  There- 
upon the  eldest  brother  exclaimed :  "  Do  not  open !  " 
The  second  brother  added :  "  Do  not  open  for  anything  !  " 
But  the  youngest  brother  said :  "  I  must  open  the  door ! " 
and  he  sprang  to  the  door  and  flung  it  open.  As  he  did  so 
something  came  in,  but  the  brothers  could  see  only  a  bright 
light,  out  of  which  proceeded  these  urgent  words :  "  I  have 
come  to  ask  your  eldest  sister  in  marriage,  and  to  take  her 
away  this  moment ;  for  I  have  no  time  to  lose,  neither  shall 
I  come  a  second  time  to  demand  her !  Answer  quickly, 
Will  you  give  her  or  not  ?  That  is  what  I  must  know/' 

247 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  eldest  brother  answered  :  "  I  will  not  give  her.  I  cannot 
see  you,  and  do  not  know  who  you  are  or  even  whence  you 
came.  To-night  is  the  first  time  I  have  heard  your  voice, 
and  you  insist  upon  taking  my  sister  away  at  once.  Should 
I  not  know  where  I  could  visit  my  sister  sometimes?" 
The  second  brother  also  said :  "  I  will  not  consent  that 
my  sister  should  be  taken  away  to  night ! " 
But  the  youngest  brother  protested,  saying :  "If  you  will 
not  give  her,  I  will.  Do  you  not  remember  our  father's 
words  ?  "  Thereupon  he  took  his  sister  by  the  hand,1  and 
presented  her  to  the  invisible  wooer,  saying :  "  May  she  be 
a  loyal  and  dutiful  wife ! " 

The  moment  the  princess  passed  over  the  threshold  every 
one  in  the  palace  fell  to  the  ground  in  terror,  so  fearsome 
was  the  lightning  and  so  loud  the  peals  of  thunder.  The 
whole  building  shook  as  if  about  to  fall.  The  storm, 
however,  passed  and  daybreak  came.  That  morning  close 
search  was  made  to  see  if  any  trace  could  be  found  of  the 
strange  visitant  or  the  way  it  had  gone;  but,  alas  !  all  their 
efforts  were  vain. 

The  second  night,  about  the  same  time,  a  similar  noise 
was  heard  again  round  the  palace,  and  a  voice  at  the  door 
exclaimed  :  "  O  princes,  open  the  door ! " 
Seized  with  fear  they  dared  not  disobey.  Then  the  pitiless 
voice  spake  again :  "  Give  me  your  second  sister ;  I  have 
come  to  ask  her  in  marriage ! " 

The  eldest  brother  protested :  "  I  will  not  consent ! " 
The  second  brother  said  :  "  I  will  not  give  away  our 
sister  ! "  But  the  youngest  brother  was  willing.  "  I  will 
give  her ! "  said  he ;  "  have  you  already  forgotten  what  our 
father  commanded  at  the  hour  of  his  death  ?  " 

1  It  is  the  custom  with  Serbians,  for  one  of  her  brothers  to  present  the 
bride  to  her  wooer. 

248 


The  Princes  set  Out 

Thereupon  the  youngest  prince  took  his  sister  by  the  hand 
and  presented  her  to  the  unseen  visitor,  saying:  "Take 
her,  may  she  be  loyal  and  dutiful  to  you !  "  So  the  visitant 
departed  with  the  princess,  and  next  morning  no  trace  of 
him  could  be  found. 

The  third  night  at  the  same  hour  the  earth  quaked  and  the 
palace  rocked  on  its  foundations,  so  mighty  was  the  tumult 
around  it.  And  again  a  mysterious  voice  was  heard  from 
without.  The  princes  opened  the  door,  and  the  unseen 
presence  entered  and  said :  "  I  come  to  ask  your  youngest 
sister  in  marriage  !  "  The  two  elder  brothers  exclaimed 
simultaneously :  "  We  will  not  give  our  sister  by  night ;  we 
must  know  to  whom  we  are  giving  her,  so  that  we  may 
visit  her  when  we  wish  to  do  so  ! "  But  once  more  the 
youngest  brother  exclaimed  :  "  I  will  give  her,  if  you  will 
not !  Have  you,  then,  forgotten  what  our  father  told  us  ? 
It  is  not  so  very  long  ago!"  So  saying,  he  took  the 
maiden  and  presented  her  to  the  invisible  power,  saying  : 
"  Take  her  with  you !  And  may  she  bring  you  joy  and 
happiness  1 " 

The  Princes  set  Out 

Next  morning  the  brothers  debated  the  fate  of  their  sisters, 
and  sorrow  filled  their  hearts.  "  Great  Heaven !  "  they 
said,  "  what  a  mighty  wonder !  We  know  not  what  has 
befallen  our  sisters ;  neither  do  we  know  where  they  have 
gone  nor  whom  they  have  married!"  At  length  they 
decided  to  go  in  search  of  their  beloved  sisters,  and  making 
the  necessary  preparations  for  their  journey  they  set  out  on 
the  quest. 

They  journeyed  for  some  time  and  then  lost  their  way  in 
a  dense  forest,  in  which  they  wandered  for  a  whole  day. 
When  darkness  fell,  they  agreed  that  they  must  pass  the 

249 


Tales  5f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

night  at  some  place  where  they  could  find  water,  so  when 
they  came  to  a  lake,  they  decided  to  pass  the  night  there, 
and  sat  down  to  eat.  When  they  were  ready  to  compose 
themselves  to  sleep,  the  eldest  proposed  to  his  brothers 
that  they  should  sleep  while  he  kept  guard.  So  the  two 
younger  brothers  went  to  sleep,  and  the  eldest  watched. 
About  midnight  the  lake  became  agitated,  and  the  watcher 
was  seized  with  horror  when  he  saw  in  the  middle  of  it 
something  moving  straight  toward  him.  As  it  came 
nearer,  he  saw  clearly  that  it  was  a  monstrous  alligator 
with  two  huge  ears.  The  monster  attacked  the  prince 
with  all  its  strength,  but  the  gallant  young  man  received  it 
on  the  point  of  his  sword  and  swiftly  cleft  its  head  asunder. 
Then  he  cut  off  the  ears,  placed  them  in  his  bag,  but  threw 
the  carcass  back  into  the  lake.  Soon  after  this,  morning 
broke ;  but  the  two  younger  brothers  slept  quietly  on, 
unconscious  of  their  brother's  exploit. 
In  due  time  the  prince  awakened  the  young  men  and, 
without  mentioning  what  had  happened,  he  recommended 
that  they  should  continue  their  journey.  They  travelled 
the  whole  day  long  and,  having  again  lost  their  way  in 
another  dense  forest,  they  decided  to  pass  the  coming 
night  by  a  small  lake,  and  they  quickly  made  a  fire.  After 
they  had  eaten,  the  second  brother  said :  "  To-night  you 
two  sleep,  and  I  shall  watch."  And  so  the  eldest  and  the 
youngest  brothers  slept,  while  the  second  kept  guard. 
Suddenly  the  water  of  the  lake  began  to  stir,  and  lo !  an 
alligator  with  two  heads  appeared  and  rushed  furiously 
upon  the  three  brothers.  But  the  second  brother  was  no 
coward ;  he  gave  the  monster  a  fearful  blow  with  his 
gleaming  sabre  and  the  alligator  fell  dead.  Then  the 
prince  cut  off  its  four  ears,  placed  them  in  his  bag,  and 
threw  the  horrible  carcass  into  the  lake.  The  two  sleeping 
250 


The  Princes  set  Out 

brothers  knew  nothing  of  all  this  and  slept  till  sun-rise. 
Then  the  gallant  prince  exclaimed :  "  Get  up,  my  brothers, 
it  is  high  time  1 "  And  they  instantly  arose,  and  prepared 
to  continue  their  journey,  without  knowing  whither  they 
should  go. 

A  great  fear  seized  their  hearts  when  they  found  them- 
selves in  a  horrible  desert;  they  wandered  in  this  for 
three  long  days,  and,  as  their  food  was  consumed,  they 
feared  now  lest  they  should  die  of  hunger  in  this  strange 
land,  which  seemed  to  have  no  end.  Then  they  addressed 
their  fervent  prayers  to  the  Almighty  that  He  might  be 
pleased  to  afford  them  some  guidance,  and  lo !  they  saw 
at  length  a  large  sheet  of  water.  Great  was  now  their  joy, 
and  they  took  counsel  with  each  other  and  agreed  to  pass 
the  night  on  the  shores  of  that  lake. 
Having  quenched  their  thirst,  they  made  a  bright  fire,  and 
when  the  hour  for  sleep  approached,  the  youngest  brother 
proposed :  "  To-night  it  is  my  turn ;  you  two  go  to  sleep 
and  I  shall  watch ! "  So  the  two  elder  brothers  went  to 
sleep,  and  the  youngest  brother  kept  awake,  looking  sharply 
about  him,  often  casting  his  eyes  over  the  lake.  Toward 
midnight  he  noticed  a  disturbance  in  the  water,  and  as  he 
looked  in  wonder  the  lake  grew  so  agitated  that  a  wave 
overflowed  the  shore  and  nearly  extinguished  the  fire. 
The  next  moment  a  horrible  alligator  with  three  heads 
appeared  and  rushed  furiously  on  the  brothers,  obviously 
intending  to  devour  them.  But  the  youngest  prince  was 
no  less  brave  than  his  two  brothers ;  he  unsheathed  his 
sword,  and  as  the  monster  came  on  with  jaws  wide  agape, 
he  gave  it  three  fearful  blows  in  rapid  succession,  slashing 
off  its  three  heads.  Then  he  cut  off  the  six  ears  and 
placed  them  in  his  bag,  and  threw  the  body  and  the  heads 
back  into  the  lake. 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Nine  Giants 

Meantime  the  fire  had  smouldered  out,  and  having  no 
materials  with  which  to  make  a  fresh  fire,  and  not  wishing 
to  awake  his  brothers,  the  prince  went  a  short  distance 
into  the  desert  in  the  hope  of  finding  some  fuel,  but  with- 
out success.  He  climbed  upon  a  rock,  and  looking  around 
he  saw  at  length  the  glare  of  a  fire.  As  it  seemed  that 
the  fire  was  not  very  far  off,  he  decided  to  go  and  get 
brands  with  which  to  relight  his  own  fire.  So  he  descended 
from  the  rock  and  hastening  for  some  time  through  the 
desert,  he  came  at  last  to  a  cave  in  which  he  saw  nine 
giants  sitting  round  a  big  fire  and  roasting  on  spits  two 
men,  one  on  each  side.  Upon  the  fire  there  stood  a 
caldron  full  of  the  limbs  of  men. 

When  the  prince  saw  all  this,  he  was  seized  with  horror, 
and  would  readily  have  gone  back,  but  it  was  too  late. 
So  he  saluted  the  giants  thus :  "  Good  evening,  my 
comrades,  I  have  been  in  search  of  you  for  a  long  time  !  " 
They  welcomed  him  in  a  friendly  manner  and  returned 
the  greeting,  saying :  "  May  God  favour  you,  since  you 
are  one  of  us!  "  The  wily  prince  added  :  "Why,  I  shall 
remain  one  of  your  faithful  friends  for  ever,  and  would 
give  my  life  for  your  sake ! "  "  Eh  ! "  exclaimed  the 
giants,  "since  you  intend  to  join  us,  no  doubt  you  are 
ready  to  eat  man's  flesh,  and  to  join  our  company  when 
we  go  in  search  of  prey  ?  "  Thereupon  the  tsar's  son 
answered :  "  Most  decidedly !  I  shall  do  willingly  every- 
thing that  you,  yourselves,  do."  Hearing  this  the  giants 
retorted  :  "  That  is  well  for  you  then !  Come  and  sit 
here  with  us  !  "  Then  the  whole  company,  sitting  round 
the  fire,  and  taking  the  meat  out  of  the  caldron,  began  to 
eat.  The  tsar's  son  pretended  to  eat,  but  he  deceived 
252 


The  Nine  Giants 

them  cleverly,  for  instead  of  eating  he  threw  the  meat 
behind  him. 

After  supper  the  giants  exclaimed:  "Now  let  us  go  to 
hunt,  for  we  must  have  something  to  eat  to-morrow ! " 
So  they  started  out,  all  nine  of  them,  the  prince  being  the 
tenth  of  the  party.  "  Come  with  us,"  said  the  giants  to 
the  prince,  "  we  will  go  to  a  neighbouring  city  in  which 
lives  a  tsar :  for  from  that  city  we  have  been  supplying 
ourselves  with  food  for  many  years!  "  When  they  arrived 
at  that  place,  the  giants  uprooted  two  fir-trees,  and, 
reaching  the  walls  of  the  city,  they  placed  one  tree  against 
it  and  ordered  the  prince :  "  Go  up  to  thei  top  of  the  wall, 
and  we  will  hand  you  the  second  tree,  which  you  will  fix 
on  the  other  side  of  the  wall,  so  that  we  can  climb  down 
the  stem  of  it  into  the  city."  The  prince  obeyed,  and, 
when  he  was  on  the  top  of  the  wall,  he  said :  "  I  do  not 
know  how  to  do  it,  I  am  not  familiar  with  this  place,  and 
I  cannot  manage  to  throw  the  tree  over  the  wall ;  please 
come  up,  one  of  you,  and  show  me  how  to  do  it ! " 
Thereupon  one  of  the  giants  climbed  up,  took  the  top 
of  the  tree  and  threw  the  stem  over  the  wall,  holding  fast 
the  highest  branch  in  his  hands.  The  prince  utilised  this 
opportunity  to  draw  his  sword,  and,  unseen  by  those 
below,  with  one  stroke  he  cut  off  the  giant's  head,  and 
pushed  his  body  over  the  wall.  Then  he  said  to  the 
others :  "  Now  come  up  one  by  one,  so  that  I  can  let  you 
down  into  the  city  as  I  did  our  first  comrade."  The 
giants,  suspecting  nothing,  climbed  up  one  after  the 
other;  and  the  prince  cut  off  their  heads  till  he  had 
killed  the  whole  nine.  Then  he  slowly  descended  the 
pine-tree  and  reached  the  ground  within  the  city  walls. 
Walking  through  the  streets  he  was  surprised  to  see 
no  living  soul  there,  and  the  whole  city  seemed  to  be 
t  253 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

deserted!  So  he  reasoned  to  himself:  "Those  ugly 
giants  must  have  annihilated  all  the  inhabitants  of  this 
city !  " 

The  Sleeping  Princess 

He  continued  wandering  about  till  he  saw  at  length  a  very 
tall  tower,  through  one  of  the  vent-holes  of  which  shone 
a  light.  He  opened  the  door  and  went  straight  to  the 
room  from  which  he  judged  the  light  to  have  come.  It 
was  magnificently  decorated  with  gold  and  velvet,  and 
lying  on  a  resplendent  couch,  was  a  maiden  sleeping. 
The  girl  was  exceedingly  beautiful,  and  as  the  prince 
devoured  her  with  his  eyes  he  was  horrified  to  see  a  snake 
on  the  wall ;  it  poised  its  hideous  head  with  the  obvious 
intention  of  striking  the  girl  on  her  forehead  between  the 
eyes,  but  the  prince  rushed  swiftly  forward  with  drawn 
poniard  and  pierced  the  serpent's  head  so  that  it  was 
nailed  to  the  wall,  exclaiming  as  he  did  so :  "  May  God  grant 
that  my  poniard  cannot  be  drawn  out  of  the  wall  by  any  hand 
but  mine !  "  He  then  hurried  away,  climbing  the  city  wall 
by  the  same  way  as  he  had  come.  When  he  arrived  at 
the  giants'  cave,  he  took  a  brand  from  the  fire,  and 
hastened  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  his  brothers,  and 
found  them  still  sleeping.  He  made  a  fresh  fire,  and,  as 
meantime  the  sun  had  risen,  he  now  awoke  his  brothers 
and  they  immediately  continued  their  journey.  That 
same  day  they  came  to  a  road  which  led  to  the  city  of 
which  we  have  heard.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  tsar  who 
lived  in  that  city  to  walk  abroad  every  morning  and  to 
lament  the  great  destruction  of  his  people  by  the  giants. 
His  greatest  anxiety  was  lest  his  only  daughter  would 
one  day  be  their  prey.  On  this  particular  morning  he 
walked  unusually  early  through  the  streets,  which  were 
254 


He  was  horrified  to  see  a  snake  on  the  wall 


254 


The  Sleeping  Princess 

all  empty.  After  a  time,  he  came  to  a  part  of  the  city 
wall  against  which  the  tall  pine-tree  of  the  giants  leaned. 
He  approached  closely  and  found  the  bodies  of  the  nine 
giants,  the  terrible  enemies  of  his  people,  lying  upon  the 
ground  with  their  heads  cut  off.  When  the  tsar  saw  this 
wonder  he  rejoiced  exceedingly,  and  the  people  soon 
gathered  around  him  and  prayed  that  God  might  grant 
happiness  and  long  life  to  the  hero  who  had  killed  the 
giants.  At  that  very  moment  servants  came  hurriedly 
from  the  palace  and  informed  the  tsar  that  a  snake  had 
very  nearly  caused  the  death  of  his  daughter.  Hearing 
this  the  tsar  ran  to  his  daughter,  and  entering  her  room 
he  was  amazed  to  see  a  large,  hideous  serpent  nailed  to 
the  wall.  He  tried  at  once  to  pluck  out  the  poniard,  but 
was  not  able  to  do  so. 

Then  the  tsar  issued  a  proclamation  throughout  his  vast 
empire  to  the  effect  that  if  the  hero  who  had  killed  the 
nine  giants  and  pierced  the  snake  would  come  to  court 
he  should  receive  great  gifts  and  the  hand  of  the  tsar's 
daughter  in  marriage.  This  proclamation  spread  quickly 
all  over  the  land,  and  by  the  tsar's  orders,  in  every  inn 
on  the  principal  roads  an  official  was  stationed  whose  duty 
it  was  to  ask  every  traveller  if  he  had  heard  of  the  hero 
who  had  killed  the  nine  giants.  If  any  man  should  know 
anything  about  the  matter,  he  was  at  once  to  come  before 
the  tsar  and  tell  what  he  knew,  and  was  to  be  rewarded. 
And  the  tsar's  commands  were  strictly  carried  out. 
After  some  time  the  three  princes  in  search  of  their  sisters 
came  to  pass  the  night  at  one  of  the  inns  of  that  country,  and, 
after  supper,  they  began  an  animated  conversation  with  the 
inn-keeper,  in  the  course  of  which  the  witty  host  boasted 
of  his  exploits,  and  at  length  asked  the  princes :  "  Tell  me 
now,  what  heroic  deeds  have  you  young  men  performed?" 

255 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Thereupon  the  eldest  brother  started  thus :  "  When  my 
brothers  and  I  set  out  on  our  expedition  in  search  of  our 
sisters,  we  decided  to  pass  the  first  night  on  the  shores  of 
a  lake  in  the  midst  of  a  deserted  forest.  There  I  pro- 
posed that  my  brothers  should  go  to  sleep  while  I  re- 
mained to  keep  watch.  As  soon  as  they  fell  asleep,  a 
terrible  alligator  rose  from  the  lake  to  devour  my  brothers, 
but  I  received  it  on  the  point  of  my  sword  and  cleft  its 
hideous  head  asunder:  if  you  do  not  believe,  here  are 
the  ears  of  the  monster  1 "  Saying  this,  the  eldest  brother 
took  out  of  his  bag  the  ears  of  the  alligator  and  placed 
them  on  the  table. 

When  the  second  brother  heard  this,  he  said :  "  And  I 
was  on  guard,  my  brothers,  while  you  were  sleeping  the 
second  night;  and  from  the  lake  appeared  an  alligator 
with  two  heads.  I  rushed  at  it  with  my  sword  and  cut 
off  both  its  heads :  if  you  do  not  believe  me,  see !  here 
are  the  four  ears  of  the  monster !  "  Saying  this,  he  pro- 
duced the  ears  from  his  bag  and  placed  them  on  the  table 
to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  listeners. 

The  Hero  Found 

But  the  youngest  brother  kept  silent.  And  the  inn-keeper 
asked  him :  "  By  my  faith,  young  man,  your  brothers  are 
veritable  heroes,  let  us  hear  whether  you  have  performed 
any  heroic  exploit?"  Then  the  youngest  brother  began 
to  relate :  "  I  have  also  done  a  little.  When  we  arrived 
at  the  shores  of  a  lake  on  the  third  night  in  that  desert 
to  pass  the  night,  you,  my  brothers,  went  to  rest,  and  I 
remained  awake  to  keep  watch.  About  midnight,  the 
lake  was  greatly  agitated  and  an  alligator  with  three  heads 
rushed  out  with  the  intention  of  swallowing  you,  but  I 
received  it  on  the  point  of  my  sword  and  successfully 
256 


The  Hero  Found 

cleft  its  three  heads  asunder :  if  you  do  not  believe  me, 
see  !  here  are  the  six  ears  of  the  monster !  "  This  astounded 
even  his  brothers,  and  the  young  man  continued  :  "  Mean- 
time our  fire  was  extinguished,  and  I  went  in  search  of  fuel. 
Wandering  over  the  desert,  I  came  across  nine  giants  .  .  ." 
and  so  he  proceeded  to  relate  to  them  all  his  surprising 
deeds.  When  the  story  came  to  an  end  the  inn-keeper 
hurried  off  and  told  everything  to  the  tsar,  who  gave 
him  money  and  ordered  that  the  brothers  should  be  brought 
to  him.  When  they  appeared  the  tsar  asked  the  youngest 
prince :  "  Is  it  really  you  who  have  done  all  those  wonders 
in  my  city,  and  saved  the  life  of  my  only  daughter?" 
"  Yes,  your  Majesty !  "  answered  the  prince.  Thereupon 
the  tsar,  moved  with  great  joy  and  gratitude,  gave  his 
daughter  in  marriage  to  the  gallant  prince  and  appointed 
him  his  prime  minister.  As  to  his  brothers,  the  tsar 
said  :  "  If  you  wish  to  remain  with  your  brother,  I  shall  find 
you  wives  and  shall  order  castles  to  be  built  for  you !  " 
But  the  two  princes  thanked  his  Majesty  and  declared  that 
they  were  already  married  and  that  they  wished  to  con- 
tinue their  search  for  their  lost  sisters. 
The  tsar  approved  of  this  resolution,  and  having  been 
supplied  with  two  mules  loaded  with  gold  the  two  brothers 
said  their  farewells  and  departed.  The  youngest  brother 
soon  began  to  think  of  his  three  sisters ;  he  would  have 
been  sorry  to  leave  his  wife  to  go  in  search  of  them,  and 
in  any  case  the  tsar,  his  father-in-law,  would  not  permit 
him  to  leave  the  court.  Nevertheless  the  prince  wasted 
away  slowly  in  grief  for  his  sisters. 

One  day  the  tsar  went  forth  to  hunt,  and  said  to  the 
prince  !  "  Remain  in  the  palace,  and  take  these  nine  keys 
and  keep  them  in  your  pocket.  You  can  open  three  or 
four  rooms  with  those  keys,  there  you  will  find  unbounded 

R  257 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

gold,  silver  and  precious  stones.  In  fact,  if  you  wish  to 
do  so,  you  can  open  even  the  eight  rooms,  but  do  not 
dare  to  open  the  ninth.  Ill  indeed  will  be  your  fate  if 
you  do !  " 

Bash  Tchelik 

As  soon  as  the  tsar  had  left  the  palace,  the  young  prince 
began  to  open  the  doors,  one  after  the  other,  of  all  the 
eight  rooms,  and  truly  he  saw  much  gold,  silver  and  other 
precious  things.  At  length  he  came  to  the  ninth  room, 
and  reasoned  to  himself  :  "  I  have  survived  many  extra- 
ordinary adventures,  nothing  ever  surprised  me;  why 
should  I  now  be  afraid  to  venture  into  this  room?" 
Saying  this,  he  opened  the  door,  and  what  do  you  think 
he  saw  there  ?  In  the  middle  of  the  room  stood  a  strange 
man,  whose  legs  were  bound  in  iron  up  to  the  knees  and 
his  arms  up  to  the  elbows ;  in  the  four  corners  of  the  room 
there  were  chains  fastened  to  thick  beams,  and  all  the 
chains  met  in  a  ring  round  the  man's  neck,  so  that  he 
could  not  make  the  slightest  movement.  In  front  of 
him  was  a  fountain  from  which  the  water  streamed  through 
a  golden  pipe  into  a  golden  basin.  Near  him  stood  a 
golden  mug,  incrusted  with  precious  stones.  Despite 
his  longing  to  drink  the  water,  the  man  could  not  move 
to  reach  the  mug.  When  the  prince  saw  all  this,  he  was 
indeed  astounded,  and  drew  back,  but  the  man  groaned : 
"  For  heaven's  sake,  come  to  me ! "  The  prince  approached 
him  and  the  man  said  :  "  Do  a  good  deed !  Give  me 
now  a  cup  of  water,  and  know  for  certain,  that  I  will 
reward  you  with  another  life ! " 

The  prince  thought  within  himself :  "  Is  there  anything 
better  than  to  possess  two  lives  ?  J)  So  he  took  the  mug, 
filled  it  with  water,  and  handed  it  to  the  man,  who  drank 
258 


Bash  Tchelik 

eagerly.  Then  the  prince  asked  him:  "Tell  me  now, 
what  is  your  name  ?  "  The  man  answered  :  "  My  name 
is  Bash  Tchelik  (Real  Steel)."  The  prince  made  a  move- 
ment toward  the  door,  but  the  man  again  implored  him : 
"  Give  me  another  mug  of  water,  and  I  shall  give  you  a 
second  life  !  "  The  prince  thought :  "  Now,  if  he  gives 
me  a  second  life,  I  shall  have,  together  with  my  own, 
three  lives  1  This  will  be  quite  wonderful ! "  So  he 
again  filled  the  mug  and  handed  it  to  the  strange 
prisoner,  who  emptied  it  greedily.  The  prince  turned 
toward  the  door,  but  the  man  exclaimed :  "  O  hero,  do 
not  go !  Come  back  a  moment !  Since  you  have  done 
two  good  deeds,  do  yet  a  third,  and  I  will  give  you  a  third 
life  as  reward.  Take  this  mug,  fill  it  with  water,  and 
pour  it  over  my  head  1 " 

The  prince  had  no  desire  to  refuse ;  he  filled  the  cup  with 
water,  and  poured  it  over  the  man's  head.  No  sooner 
had  he  done  this  than  Bash  Tchelik  broke  the  iron  chains 
around  his  neck,  jumped  up  with  the  speed  of  lightning, 
and,  lo!  he  had  wings.  He  rushed  through  the  door 
before  the  surprised  prince  could  make  a  movement,  and, 
having  snatched  up  the  daughter  of  the  tsar,  the  wife  of 
his  deliverer,  he  flew  into  the  air  and  disappeared. 
When  the  tsar  returned  from  the  hunt,  his  son-in-law 
told  him  all  that  had  happened,  and  the  tsar  was  indeed 
greatly  saddened,  and  exclaimed  :  "  Why  did  you  do  this  ? 
Did  I  not  tell  you  not  to  open  the  ninth  room  ?  "  The 
prince  humbly  answered  :  "  Do  not  be  angry,  I  shall  go  in 
search  of  Bash  Tchelik,  for  I  must  fetch  my  wife."  But 
the  tsar  tried  to  dissuade  him,  saying :  "  Do  not  go,  for 
anything  in  the  world  1  You  do  not  yet  know  this  man ; 
it  cost  me  many  an  army  before  I  succeeded  in  taking 
him  prisoner.  Remain  in  peace  where  you  are,  and  I  will 

259 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

find  for  you  a  still  better  wife  than  my  daughter  was,  and 
rest  assured  that  I  shall  continue  to  love  you  as  my  own 
son !  "  However,  the  young  prince  would  not  listen  to  his 
father-in-law's  advice,  but  took  money  for  his  travelling 
expenses,  saddled  a  horse  and  went  in  search  of  Bash 
Tchelik. 

The  Prince  finds  his  Sister 

Some  time  later  the  young  man  came  to  a  city.  From 
the  window  of  a  castle  a  girl  cried  out :  "  O  prince, 
alight  from  your  charger  and  come  into  our  courtyard  1  " 
The  prince  did  as  he  was  invited  ;  the  girl  met  him  in 
the  courtyard,  and  he  was  greatly  astonished  to  recognize 
in  her  his  eldest  sister.  They  embraced  and  kissed  each 
other,  and  his  sister  said:  "Come  within,  my  brother." 
When  they  were  inside,  the  prince  asked  his  sister  who 
her  husband  was,  and  she  answered  :  "I  have  married  the 
king  of  dragons,  and  he  has  sworn  that  he  will  kill  my 
brothers  the  first  time  he  comes  across  them.  Therefore, 
I  will  hide  you,  and  shall  ask  him  first  what  he  would  do 
to  you  if  you  appeared.  Should  he  declare  that  he  would 
do  you  no  harm,  I  would  tell  him  of  your  presence."  So 
she  hid  both  her  brother  and  his  horse.  Toward  evening 
the  dragon  flew  home,  and  the  whole  castle  shone.  As 
soon  as  he  entered,  he  called  his  wife :  "  My  dear,  there  is 
a  smell  of  human  bones !  Tell  me  at  once  who  is  here  !  " 
She  answered :  "  There  is  nobody ! "  But  the  dragon 
added:  "That  cannot  be!"  Then  his  wife  asked  him: 
"  Please  answer  truly,  would  you  harm  my  brothers  if  one 
of  them  should  come  here  to  see  me  ?  "  And  the  king  of 
dragons  said  :  "  Your  eldest  and  your  second  brother  I 
would  slaughter  and  roast,  but  your  youngest  brother  I 
would  not  harm."  Then  she  said  :  "  My  youngest  brother, 
260 


The  Second  Sister 

and  your  brother-in-law,  is  here."  Thereupon  the  king 
said  :  "  Let  him  come  in."  And  when  the  prince  appeared, 
the  king  of  dragons  stretched  forth  his  arms,  embraced 
his  brother-in-law,  and  said:  "Welcome,  O  brother!" 
And  the  prince  answered:  "I  hope  you  are  well?" 
Then  they  related  to  each  other  all  their  adventures  from 
beginning  to  end,  and  sat  down  to  supper. 
At  length  the  prince  told  his  brother-in-law  that  he  was 
searching  for  Bash  Tchelik,  and  the  dragon  advised  him, 
saying,  "  Do  not  go  any  further !  I  will  tell  you  all  about 
him ;  the  very  day  when  he  escaped  from  his  prison,  I 
met  him  with  five  thousand  of  my  dragons,  and,  after  a 
severe  battle,  he  escaped  victorious.  So  you  see,  there  is 
slender  hope  for  you,  alone,  to  overpower  him.  There- 
fore I  advise  you,  as  a  friend,  to  abandon  your  plan,  and 
return  home  in  peace ;  and  if  you  are  in  need  of  money  I 
will  give  you  any  amount  of  it."  But  the  prince  answered : 
"  I  thank  you  very  much  for  all  your  good  wishes  and  ad- 
vice, but  I  cannot  do  otherwise  than  go  in  search  of  Bash 
Tchelik  ! "  And  he  thought :  "  Why  should  I  not  do  so, 
since  I  have  three  superfluous  lives  ?  " 
When  the  king  of  dragons  saw  that  he  could  not  dissuade 
the  prince,  he  handed  a  feather  he  was  wearing  to  him,  and 
said :  "Take  this,  and  if  you  are  ever  in  need  of  my  help, 
you  have  only  to  burn  it,  and  I  will  come  at  once  to  your 
aid  with  all  my  forces."  The  prince  thankfully  took  the 
feather  and  started  once  more  in  pursuit  of  Bash  Tchelik. 

The  Second  Sister 

Wandering  for  some  time  he  came  at  length  to  another 
city,  and,  as  he  was  riding  under  the  tower  of  a  magnificent 
castle,  a  window  opened  and  he  heard  a  voice  calling  him : 
"Alight  from  your  steed,  O  prince,  and  come  into  our 

261 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

courtyard  1  "  The  prince  complied  immediately,  and  when 
he  entered  the  courtyard,  he  was  greatly  surprised  to  see 
his  second  sister,  who  threw  herself  into  his  arms,  weeping 
for  joy.  Then  she  showed  her  brother  into  her  private 
apartment,  and  he  asked:  "To  whom  are  you  married, 
sister  dear?  "  And  she  answered:  "  My  husband  is  the 
king  of  the  eagles."  When  the  king  returned  home  his 
loving  wife  welcomed  him,  but  he  exclaimed  at  once: 
"  Who  is  the  daring  man  now  in  my  castle  ?  Tell  me 
directly  ! "  She  lied  and  said :  "  No  one  I  "  Then  they 
began  their  supper,  and  the  princess  asked  her  husband : 
"  Tell  me  truly,  would  you  do  any  harm  to  my  brothers  if 
one  of  them  should  dare  to  come  here  to  see  me  ?  "  And 
the  eagle-king  answered :  "  As  to  your  eldest  and  your 
second  brother,  I  declare  that  I  would  kill  them ;  but  your 
third  brother  I  would  welcome  and  help  as  much  as  I 
could."  Then  she  took  heart  and  told  him  :  "  Here  is 
my  youngest  brother,  and  your  brother-in-law,  who  has 
come  to  see  us  1  "  Then  the  king  ordered  his  servants  to 
bring  the  prince  before  him,  and  when  the  servants  obeyed 
and  the  prince  appeared,  he  stood  up  and  embraced  and 
kissed  his  brother-in-law,  saying :  "  Welcome,  my  dear 
brother-in-law  !  "  And  the  prince,  touched  by  his  kind- 
ness,  answered  most  courteously:  "Thank  you,  my 
brother !  I  hope  you  are  well !  "  The  king  at  once  bade 
him  be  seated  at  table,  and  after  supper  the  prince  related 
his  wonderful  adventures,  and  finished  by  telling  them 
about  his  search  for  Bash  Tchelik.  Hearing  this,  the 
eagle-king  counselled  his  brother-in-law  most  urgently  to 
give  up  his  hazardous  plan,  adding :  "  Leave  that  fiend 
alone,  O  dear  brother-in-law !  I  would  advise  you  to 
remain  here;  you  will  find  everything  you  desire  in  my 
castle."  But  the  adventurous  prince  would  not  listen  to 
262 


The  Prince  finds  his  Wife 

this  advice  for  a  moment,  and  on  the  morrow  he  prepared 
to  resume  his  search  for  Bash  Tchelik.  Then  the  eagle- 
king,  seeing  that  the  prince's  resolution  was  unshakable, 
plucked  out  of  his  garment  a  beautiful  feather,  handed  it 
to  his  brother-in-law,  and  said :  "  Take  this  feather, 
O  brother,  and  if  you  ever  should  need  my  help  you  will 
have  but  to  burn  it,  and  I  will  at  once  come  to  your  aid 
with  the  whole  of  my  army."  The  prince  accepted  the 
feather  most  gratefully,  took  his  leave,  and  went  away  in 
pursuit  of  his  enemy. 

The  Third  Sister 

After  some  time  he  came  to  a  third  city,  in  which  he  found 
in  the  same  manner  his  youngest  sister.  She  was  married 
to  the  king  of  the  falcons,  who  also  welcomed  him  in  a 
friendly  manner,  and  gave  him  a  "feather  to  burn  in  case  of 
need. 

The  Prince  finds  his  Wife 

After  wandering  from  one  place  to  another,  he  finally  found 
his  wife  in  a  cave.  When  his  wife  saw  him  she  exclaimed : 
"  How  in  the  world  did  you  come  here,  my  dear  husband  ?  ' ' 
And  he  told  her  all  about  his  adventures  and  said  :  "  Let 
us  flee  together,  my  wife  !  "  But  she  replied  :  "  How 
could  we  flee,  when  Bash  Tchelik  will  surely  overtake  us : 
he  would  kill  you,  and  he  would  take  me  back  and  punish 
me."  Nevertheless,  the  prince,  knowing  well  that  he 
had  three  additional  lives,  persuaded  his  wife  to  go 
with  him.  ! 

No  sooner  had  they  left  the  cavern  than  Bash  Tchelik 
heard  of  their  departure  and  hurried  after  them.  In  a 
short  time  he  reached  them,  took  back  the  princess,  and 
reproached  the  prince :  "  O  prince,  you  have  stolen  your 

263 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

wife  !  This  time  I  forgive  you,  because  I  recollect  having 
granted  you  three  lives.  So  you  can  go,  but  if  you  dare 
come  again  for  your  wife  I  shall  kill  you !  "  Thereupon 
Bash  Tchelik  disappeared  with  the  princess,  and  her 
husband  remained  to  wonder  what  he  should  do  next.  At 
length  he  decided  to  try  his  luck  again,  and  when  he  was 
near  the  cave  he  chose  a  moment  when  Bash  Tchelik  was 
absent,  and  again  took  away  his  wife.  But  Bash  Tchelik 
again  learnt  of  their  departure  quickly,  and  in  a  short  time 
reached  them  again.  Now  he  drew  his  bow  at  the  prince, 
saying  :  "  Do  you  prefer  to  be  shot  by  this  arrow,  or  to  be 
beheaded  by  my  sabre  ?  "  The  prince  asked  to  be  pardoned 
"again,  and  Bash  Tchelik  forgave  him,  saying:  "  I  pardon 
you  this  time  also,  but  know  surely  that  should  you  dare 
come  again  to  take  away  your  wife  I  shall  kill  you  without 
mercy." 

The  prince  tried  his  luck  yet  a  third  time,  and,  being  again 
,  caught  by  Bash  Tchelik,  once  more  implored  to  be  pardoned. 
*  Because  he  had  given  him  of  his  own  free  will  three 
lives,  Bash  Tchelik  listened  to  his  plea,  but  said  :  "  Be 
warned ;  do  not  risk  losing  the  one  life  God  gave  you  !  " 
The  prince,  seeing  that  against  such  a  power  he  could  do 
nothing,  started  homeward,  pondering  in  his  mind,  how- 
ever, how  he  could  free  his  wife  from  Bash  Tchelik. 
Suddenly  an  idea  came  to  him :  he  recalled  what  his 
brothers-in-law  had  said  when  giving  him  a  feather  from 
their  garments.  So  he  thought :  "  I  must  go  once  more 
and  try  to  rescue  my  wife ;  if  I  come  to  any  harm  I  will 
burn  the  feathers  and  my  brothers-in-law  will  come  to  my 
aid." 

Thereupon  the  prince  returned  to  the  cave  of  Bash  Tchelik, 
and  his  wife  was  greatly  surprised  to  see  him  and  ex- 
claimed :  "  So,  you  are  tired  of  life,  since  you  have  come 
264 


The  Prince  finds  his  Wife 

back  a  fourth  time  for  me  1 "  But  the  prince  showed  his 
wife  the  feathers  and  explained  their  uses,  and  prevailed 
upon  her  to  try  once  more  to  escape.  No  sooner  had  they 
left  the  cavern,  however,  than  Bash  Tchelik  rushed i  after 
them  shouting :  "  Stop,  prince !  You  cannot  escape  me  !  " 
The  prince,  seeing  that  they  were  in  imminent  peril, 
hastily  burnt  all  three  feathers,  and  when  Bash  Tchelik 
came  up  with  drawn  sabre  ready  to  kill  him,  oh !  what  a 
mighty  wonder !  At  the  same  moment  came  flying  to  the 
'rescue  the  dragon-king  with  his  host  of  dragons,  the 
eagle-king  with  all  his  fierce  eagles,  and  the  falcon-king 
with  all  his  falcons.  One  and  all  fell  furiously  upon  Bash 
Tchelik,  but  despite  the  shedding  of  much  blood  Bash 
Tchelik  seemed  to  be  invincible,  and  at  length  he  seized 
the  princess  and  fled. 

After  the  battle  the  three  brothers-in-law  found  the  prince 
dead,  and  immediately  decided  to  recall  him  to  life.  They 
asked  three  dragons  which  of  them  could  bring,  in  the 
shortest  possible  time,  some  water  from  the  Jordan.  The 
first  said :  "  I  could  bring  it  in  half  an  hour ! "  The 
second  declared :  "  I  will  bring  it  in  ten  minutes ! "  The 
third  asserted :  "  I  can  bring  it  in  nine  seconds !  "  There- 
upon the  king  dispatched  the  third  dragon,  and,  indeed, 
he  used  all  his  fiery  might  and  returned  in  nine  seconds. 
The  king  took  the  healing  water,  poured  it  upon  the 
gaping  wounds  of  their  brother-in-law,  and,  as  they  did  so, 
the  wounds  were  healed  up  and  the  prince  sprang  to  his 
feet  alive. 

Then  the  kings  counselled  him:  "Since  you  have  been 
saved  from  death  go  home  in  peace."  But  the  prince 
declared  that  he  would  once  more  try  to  regain  his  beloved 
wife.  The  kings  endeavoured  to  dissuade  him,  saying: 
"  Do  not  go,  for  you  will  be  lost  if  you  do  1  You  know 

265 


Tales  &?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

well  that  you  have  now  only  the  one  life  which  God  gave 
you."  But  the  prince  would  not  listen.  Thereupon  the 
kings  said :  "  Since  it  cannot  be  otherwise,  then  go  1  But 
do  not  vainly  think  to  flee  with  your  wife !  Request  your 
wife  to  ask  Bash  Tchelik  where  his  strength  lies,  and  then 
come  and  tell  us,  in  order  that  we  may  help  you  to  conquer 
him." 

The  Secret  of  Strength 

This  time  the  prince  went  stealthily  to  the  cavern  and,  as 
counselled  by  the  kings,  told  his  wife  to  inquire  from  Bash 
Tchelik  wherein  lay  his  strength.  When  Bash  Tchelik 
returned  home  that  evening,  the  princess  asked :  "  I  pray 
you,  tell  me  where  lies  your  strength  ?  "  Bash  Tchelik, 
hearing  this  laughed  and  said:  "My  strength  is  in  my 
sabre  I "  The  princess  knelt  before  the  sabre  and  began 
to  pray.  Thereupon  Bash  Tchelik  burst  into  louder 
laughter,  exclaiming :  "O  foolish  woman!  My  strength 
is  not  in  my  sabre,  but  in  my  bow  and  my  arrows  ?  "  Then 
the  princess  knelt  before  the  bow  and  the  arrows,  and  Bash 
Tchelik,  shouting  with  laughter,  said :  "  O  foolish  woman ! 
My  strength  is  neither  in  my  bow  nor  in  my  arrows !  But 
tell  me  who  instructed  you  to  ask  me  where  my  force  lies  ? 
If  your  husband  were  alive  I  could  guess  it  was  he  who 
demanded  it!"  But  the  princess  protested  that  no  one 
urged  her,  and  he  believed  what  she  said. 
After  some  time  the  prince  came,  and  when  his  wife  told 
him  that  she  could  not  learn  anything  from  Bash  Tchelik, 
he  said :  "  Try  again !  "  and  went  away. 
When  Bash  Tchelik  returned  home  the  princess  began 
again  to  ask  him  to  tell  the  secret  of  his  strength.  Then 
he  answered  :  "  Since  you  esteem  my  heroism  so  much,  I 
will  tell  you  the  truth  about  it."  And  he  began :  "  Far 
266 


The  Golden  Apple-Tree 

away  from  here  is  a  high  mountain,  in  that  mountain  there 
lives  a  fox,  in  the  fox  is  a  heart,  in  that  heart  there  lives 
a  bird:  in  that  bird  lies  my  whole  strength.  But  it  is 
very  hard  to  catch  that  fox,  for  it  can  turn  itself  into  any- 
thing!" 

Next  morning,  when  Bash  Tchelik  left  the  cave,  the  prince 
came  and  learned  the  secret  from  his  wife.  Then  he  went 
straight  to  his  brothers-in-law  who,  upon  hearing  his  tale, 
went  at  once  with  him  to  find  the  mountain.  This  they 
were  not  long  in  doing,  and  they  loosed  eagles  to  chase  the 
fox,  whereat  the  fox  quickly  ran  into  a  lake  and  there  it 
transformed  itself  into  a  six-winged  duck.  Then  the 
falcons  flew  to  the  duck  and  it  mounted  into  the  clouds. 
Seeing  this,  the  dragons  pursued  it;  the  duck  changed 
again  into  a  fox ;  the  other  eagles  surrounded  it,  and  at 
length  it  was  caught. 

Then  the  three  kings  ordered  the  fox  to  be  cut  open  and 
its  heart  taken  out.  This  done,  they  made  a  great  fire 
and  from  the  fox's  heart  took  a  bird  which  they  threw  into 
the  fire,  and  it  was  burnt  to  death.  So  perished  Bash 
Tchelik,  and  thus  did  the  prince  finally  regain  his  beloved 
and  loyal  wife. 

IX.  THE  GOLDEN  APPLE-TREE  AND 
THE  NINE  PEAHENS 

Once  there  was  a  king  who  had  three  sons.  In  the  garden 
of  the  palace  grew  a  golden  apple-tree,  which,  in  one  and 
the  same  night  would  blossom  and  bear  ripe  fruit.  But 
during  the  night  a  thief  would  come  and  pluck  the  golden 
apples,  and  none  could  detect  him.  One  day  the  king 
deliberating  with  his  sons,  said :  "  I  would  give  much  to 
know  what  happens  to  the  fruit  of  our  apple-tree ! " 
Thereupon  the  eldest  son  answered  :  "  I  will  mount  guard 

267 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

to-night  under  the  apple-tree,  and  we  will  see  who  gathers 
the  fruit." 

When  evening  came,  the  prince  laid  himself  under  the 
apple-tree  to  watch ;  but  as  the  apples  ripened,  he  fell 
asleep  and  did  not  wake  until  next  morning,  when  the 
apples  had  vanished.  He  told  his  father  what  had 
happened,  and  his  brother,  the  second  son,  then  offered  to 
keep  guard  that  night.  But  he  had  no  more  success  than 
his  elder  brother. 

It  was  now  the  turn  of  the  youngest  son  to  try  his  luck, 
and,  when  night  came  on,  he  placed  a  bed  under  the  tree, 
and  lay  down  and  went  to  sleep.  About  midnight  he 
awoke  and  glanced  at  the  apple-tree.  And  lo  !  the  apples 
were  just  ripening  and  the  whole  castle  was  lit  up  with 
their  shining.  At  that  moment  nine  peahens  flew  to  the 
tree  and  settled  on  its  branches,  where  eight  remained  to 
pluck  the  fruit.  The  ninth,  however,  flew  to  the  ground 
and  was  instantly  transformed  into  a  maiden  so  beautiful 
that  one  might  in  vain  search  for  her  equal  throughout 
the  kingdom. 

The  prince  immediately  fell  madly  in  love  with  his  visitor 
and  the  fair  maiden  was  not  at  all  unwilling  to  stay  and 
converse  with  the  young  man.  An  hour  or  two  soon 
passed  but  at  last  the  maiden  said  that  she  might  stay  no 
longer.  She  thanked  the  prince  for  the  apples  which  her 
sisters  had  plucked,  but  he  asked  that  they  would  give 
him  at  least  one  to  carry  home. 

The  maiden  smiled  sweetly  and  handed  the  young  man 
two  apples,  one  for  himself,  the  other  for  his  father,  the 
king.  She  then  turned  again  into  a  peahen,  joined  her 
sisters  and  all  flew  away. 

Next  morning  the  prince  carried  the  two  apples  to  his 
father.  The  king,  very  pleased,  praised  his  son,  and  on 
268 


The  pea-hen  insta?ttly  turned  into  a  maiden  268 


The  Golden  Apple-Tree 

the  following  night,  the  happy  prince  placed  himself  under 
the  tree,  as  before,  next  morning  again  bringing  two 
apples  to  his  father.  After  this  had  happened  for  several 
nights,  his  two  brothers  grew  envious,  because  they  had 
not  been  able  to  do  what  he  had  done.  Then  a  wicked 
old  woman  offered  her  services  to  the  malcontent  princes, 
promising  that  she  would  reveal  the  secret  to  them.  So 
on  the  next  evening  the  old  woman  stole  softly  under  the 
bed  of  the  young  prince  and  hid  herself  there.  Soon  after- 
ward the  prince  came  and  at  once  went  to  sleep  just  as 
before.  When  midnight  came,  lo  I  the  peahens  flew  down 
as  usual ;  eight  of  them  settling  on  the  branches  of  the 
apple-tree,  but  the  ninth,  descending  on  the  bed  of  the 
prince,  instantly  turned  into  a  maiden.  The  old  woman, 
seeing  this  strange  metamorphosis,  crept  softly  near  and 
cut  off  a  lock  of  the  maiden's  hair,  whereupon  the  girl 
immediately  arose,  changed  again  into  a  peahen,  and  dis- 
appeared together  with  her  sisters.  Then  the  young 
prince  jumped  up  and  wondering  what  had  been  the  reason 
for  the  sudden  departure  of  his  beloved  began  to  look 
around.  He  then  saw  the  old  woman,  dragged  her  from 
under  his  bed,  and  ordered  his  servants  to  fasten  her  to 
the  tails  of  four  horses  and  so  to  destroy  her. 
But  the  peahens  never  came  again,  to  the  great  sorrow  of 
the  prince,  and  for  all  that  he  mourned  and  wept. 
Weeping  will  not  move  any  mountain,  and  at  length  the 
prince  resolved  to  go  through  the  wide  world  in  search 
of  his  sweetheart  and  not  return  home  until  he  had  found 
her.  As  a  good  son,  he  asked  leave  of  his  father  who 
tried  hard  to  make  him  give  up  such  a  hazardous  scheme 
and  promised  him  a  much  more  beautiful  bride  in  his 
own  vast  kingdom — for  he  was  very  sure  that  any  maiden 
would  be  glad  to  marry  such  a  valiant  prince. 

269 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Princes  Quest 

But  all  his  fatherly  advice  was  vain,  so  the  king  finally 
allowed  his  son  to  do  what  his  heart  bade,  and  the 
sorrowful  prince  departed  with  only  one  servant  to  seek 
his  love.  Journeying  on  for  a  long  time,  he  came  at 
length  to  the  shore  of  a  large  lake,  near  which  was  a 
magnificent  castle  in  which  there  lived  a  very  old  woman, 
a  queen,  with  her  only  daughter.  The  prince  implored 
the  aged  queen,  "  I  pray  thee,  grandmother,  tell  me  what 
you  can  about  the  nine  golden  peahens?"  The  queen 
answered :  "  O,  my  son,  I  know  those  peahens  well,  for 
they  come  every  day  at  noon  to  this  lake  and  bathe.  But 
had  you  not  better  forget  the  peahens,  and  rather  consider 
this  beautiful  girl,  she  is  my  daughter  and  will  inherit  my 
wealth  and  treasures,  and  you  can  share  all  with  her." 
But  the  prince,  impatient  to  find  the  peahens,  did  not  even 
listen  to  what  the  queen  was  saying.  Seeing  his  indiffer- 
ence, the  old  lady  bribed  his  servant  and  gave  him  a  pair 
of  bellows,  saying :  "  Do  you  see  this  ?  When  you  go 
to-morrow  to  the  lake,  blow  secretly  behind  your  master's 
neck,  and  he  will  fall  asleep  and  will  not  be  able  to  speak 
to  the  peahens." 

The  faithless  servant  agreed  to  do  exactly  as  the  queen 
bade,  and  when  they  went  to  the  lake,  he  used  the  first 
favourable  occasion  and  blew  with  the  bellows  behind  his 
poor  master's  neck,  whereupon  the  prince  fell  so  soundly 
asleep  that  he  resembled  a  dead  man.  Soon  after,  the 
eight  peahens  flew  to  the  lake,  and  the  ninth  alighted  on 
the  prince's  horse  and  began  to  embrace  him,  saying: 
"  Arise,  sweetheart !  Arise,  beloved  one !  Ah,  do !  " 
Alas !  the  poor  prince  remained  as  if  dead.  Then  after 
the  peahens  had  bathed,  all  disappeared. 
270 


The  Prince's  Quest 

Shortly  after  their  departure  the  prince  woke  up  and 
asked  his  servant :  "  What  has  happened  ?  Have  they 
been  here  ?  "  The  servant  answered  that  they  had  indeed 
been  there ;  that  eight  of  them  bathed  in  the  lake,  while 
the  ninth  caressed  and  kissed  him,  trying  to  arouse  him 
from  slumber.  Hearing  this,  the  poor  prince  was  so  angry 
that  he  was  almost  ready  to  kill  himself. 
Next  morning  the  same  thing  happened.  But  on  this 
occasion  the  peahen  bade  the  servant  tell  the  prince  that 
she  would  come  again  the  following  day  for  the  last  time. 
When  the  third  day  dawned  the  prince  went  again  to  the 
lake,  and  fearing  to  fall  asleep  he  decided  to  gallop  along 
the  marge  instead  of  pacing  slowly  as  before.  His 
deceitful  servant,  however,  pursuing  him  closely,  again 
found  an  opportunity  for  using  the  bellows,  and  yet  again 
the  prince  fell  asleep. 

Shortly  afterward  the  peahens  came ;  eight  of  them  went 
as  usual  to  bathe,  and  the  ninth  alighted  on  the  prince's 
horse  and  tried  to  awaken  him.  She  embraced  him  and 
spoke  thus  :  "  Awake,  my  darling !  Sweetheart,  arise  ! 
Ah,  my  soul ! "  But  her  efforts  were  futile ;  the  prince 
was  sleeping  as  if  he  were  dead.  Then  she  said  to  the 
servant :  "  When  thy  master  awakes  tell  him  to  cut  off 
the  head  of  the  nail ;  then  only  he  may  be  able  to  find  me 
again." 

Saying  this  the  peahen  disappeared  with  her  sisters, 
and  they  had  hardly  disappeared  when  the  prince 
awoke  and  asked  his  servant :  "  Have  they  been  here  ?  " 
And  the  malicious  fellow  answered :  "  Yes ;  the  one  who 
alighted  on  your  horse  ordered  me  to  tell  you  that,  if  you 
wish  to  find  her  again,  you  must  first  cut  off  the  head  of 
the  nail."  Hearing  this  the  prince  unsheathed  his  sword 
and  struck  off  his  faithless  servant's  head. 

271 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  Quest  Resumed 

The  prince  now  resumed  his  pilgrimage  alone,  and  after 
long  journeying  he  came  to  a  mountain  where  he  met  a 
hermit,  who  offered  hospitality  to  him.  In  the  course  of 
conversation  the  prince  asked  his  host  whether  he  knew 
anything  about  the  nine  peahens ;  the  hermit  replied : 
"  O  my  son,  you  are  really  fortunate !  God  himself  has 
shown  you  the  right  way.  From  here  to  their  dwelling  is 
but  half  a  day's  walk ;  to-morrow  I  will  point  you  the 
way." 

The  prince  rose  very  early  the  next  morning,  prepared 
himself  for  the  journey,  thanked  the  hermit  for  giving  him 
shelter,  and  went  on  as  he  was  directed.  He  came  to  a 
large  gate,  and,  passing  through  it,  he  turned  to  the  right ; 
toward  noon  he  observed  some  white  walls,  the  sight  of 
which  rejoiced  him  very  much.  Arriving  at  this  castle 
he  asked  the  way  to  the  palace  of  the  nine  peahens,  and 
proceeding  he  soon  came  to  it.  He  was,  of  course, 
challenged  by  the  guards,  who  asked  his  name  and  whence 
he  came.  When  the  queen  heard  that  he  had  arrived, 
she  was  overwhelmed  with  joy,  and  turning  into  a  maiden 
she  ran  swiftly  to  the  gate  and  led  the  prince  into  the 
palace. 

There  was  great  feasting  and  rejoicing  when,  later,  their 
nuptials  were  solemnized,  and  after  the  wedding  the  prince 
remained  within  the  palace  and  lived  in  peace. j 
Now  one  day  the  queen  went  for  a  walk  in  the  palace 
grounds  accompanied  by  an  attendant,  the  prince  remain- 
ing in  the  palace.     Before  starting  the  queen  gave  her 
spouse  the  keys  of  twelve  cellars,  saying  :  "  You  may  go 
into  the  cellars,  all  but  one ;  do  not  on  any  account  go 
into  the  twelfth;  you  must  not  even  open  the  door !  " 
272 


The  Quest  Resumed 

The  prince  soon  began  to  speculate  upon  what  there  could 
possibly  be  in  the  twelfth  cellar ;  and  having  opened  one 
cellar  after  the  other,  he  stood  hesitatingly  at  the  door  of 
the  twelfth.  He  who  hesitates  is  lost,  and  so  the  prince 
finally  inserted  the  key  in  the  lock  and  the  next  moment 
had  passed  into  the  forbidden  place.  In  the  middle  of  the 
floor  was  a  huge  cask  bound  tightly  round  with  three 
strong  iron  hoops.  The  bung-hole  was  open  and  from 
within  the  cask  came  a  muffled  voice  which  said  :  "  I  pray 
thee,  brother,  give  me  a  drink  of  water,  else  I  shall  die  of 
thirst !  "  The  prince  took  a  glass  of  water  and  poured  it 
through  the  bung-hole ;  immediately  one  hoop  burst. 
Then  the  voice  spake  again :  "  O  brother  give  me  more 
water  lest  I  should  die  of  thirst !  "  The  good-hearted 
prince  emptied  a  second  glass  into  the  cask,  and  a  second 
hoop  instantly  came  asunder.  Again  the  voice  implored : 
"  O  brother,  give  me  yet  a  third  glass !  I  am  still  con- 
sumed by  thirst !  "  The  prince  made  haste  to  gratify 
the  unseen  speaker,  and  as  he  poured  in  the  water  the 
third  hoop  burst,  the  cask  fell  in  pieces,  and  a  great 
dragon  struggled  out  from  the  wreck,  rushed  through  the 
door  and  flew  into  the  open.  Very  soon  he  fell  in  with  the 
queen,  who  was  on  her  way  back  to  the  palace,  and  carried 
her  off.  Her  attendant,  affrighted,  rushed  to  the  prince 
with  the  intelligence,  and  the  news  came  as  a  thunder- 
bolt. 

For  a  time  the  prince  was  as  one  distraught,  but  then  he 
became  more  calm  and  he  resolved  to  set  out  again  in 
search  of  his  beloved  queen.  In  his  wanderings  he  came 
to  a  river,  and,  walking  along  its  bank,  he  noticed  in  a 
little  hole  a  small  fish  leaping  and  struggling.  When  the 
fish  saw  the  prince  it  began  to  beseech  him  piteously  :  "  Be 
my  brother-in-God  !  Throw  me  back  into  the  stream ; 

s  273 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

some  day  I  may,  perhaps,  be  useful  to  you !  But  be  sure 
to  take  a  scale  from  me,  and  when  you  are  in  need  of  help 
rub  it  gently."  The  prince  picked  up  the  fish,  took  a 
scale  from  it,  and  threw  the  poor  creature  into  the  water ; 
then  he  carefully  wrapped  the  scale  in  his  handkerchief. 
Continuing  his  wanderings,  he  came  to  a  place  where 
he  saw  a  fox  caught  in  an  iron  trap,  and  the  animal 
addressed  him,  saying  :  "  Be  my  brother-in-God !  Re- 
lease me,  I  pray,  from  this  cruel  trap;  and  some  day, 
perhaps,  I  may  be  helpful  to  you.  Only  take  a  hair  from 
my  brush,  and,  if  you  are  in  need,  rub  it  gently !  "  The 
prince  took  a  hair  from  the  fox's  tail  and  set  him  free. 
Journeying  on,  he  came  upon  a  wolf  caught  in  a  trap. 
And  the  wolf  besought  him  in  these  words:  "Be  my 
brother-in-God,  and  release  me !  One  day  you  may  need 
my  help,  therefore,  take  just  one  hair  from  my  coat,  and  if 
you  should  ever  need  my  assistance,  you  will  have  but  to 
rub  it  a  little !  "  This  likewise  the  prince  did. 
Some  days  elapsed  and  then,  as  the  prince  went  wearily 
on  his  way,  he  met  a  man  in  the  mountains,  to  whom  he 
said :  "  O  my  brother-in-God  I  Can  you  direct  me  to 
the  castle  of  the  king  of  the  dragons?"  Luckily  the  man 
knew  of  this  castle  and  was  able  to  tell  the  way  to  it :  he 
also  informed  the  prince  exactly  how  long  the  journey 
would  take. 

The  Prince  finds  his  Wife 

The  prince  thanked  the  stranger  and  continued  his  journey 
with  fresh  vigour  until  he  came  to  where  the  king  of  the 
dragons  lived.  He  entered  the  castle  boldly  and  found  his 
wife  there ;  after  their  first  joy  of  meeting,  they  began  to 
consider  how  they  could  escape.  Finally,  they  took  swift 
horses  from  the  stables,  but  they  had  hardly  set  out 
274 


The  Prince  finds  his  Wife 

before  the  dragon  came  back.  When  he  found  that  the 
queen  had  escaped,  he  took  counsel  with  his  courser  : 
"  What  do  you  advise?  Shall  we  first  eat  and  drink,  or 
shall  we  pursue  at  once!"  The  horse  answered:  "Let 
us  first  refresh  ourselves,  for  we  shall  surely  catch  them." 
After  the  meal,  the  dragon  mounted  his  horse  and  in 
a  very  few  minutes  they  reached  the  fugitives.  Then  he 
seized  the  queen  and  said  to  the  prince:  "Go  in  peace! 
I  pardon  you  this  time,  because  you  released  me  from 
that  cellar :  but  do  not  venture  to  cross  my  path  again, 
for  you  will  not  be  forgiven  a  second  time." 
The  poor  prince  started  sadly  on  his  way,  but  he  soon 
found  that  he  could  not  abandon  his  wife.  Whatever 
the  cost  he  must  make  another  attempt  to  rescue  her,  and 
so  he  retraced  his  steps,  and  on  the  following  day  entered 
the  castle  again  and  found  his  wife  in  tears.  It  was 
evident  that  they  must  use  guile  if  they  were  to  elude  the 
magical  powers  of  the  dragon-king,  and  after  they  had 
thought  upon  the  matter,  the  prince  said:  "When  the 
dragon  comes  home  to-night,  ask  where  he  got  his  horse ; 
perchance  I  may  be  able  to  procure  a  steed  that  is  equally 
swift :  only  then  could  we  hopefully  make  another  attempt 
to  escape."  Saying  this  he  left  his  wife  for  a  time. 
When  the  dragon-king  returned,  the  queen  began  to  caress 
him  and  to  pleasantly  converse ;  at  length  she  said  : 
"  How  I  admire  your  fine  horse !  Certainly  he  is  of  no 
ordinary  breed !  Where  did  you  find  such  a  swift 
courser?  "  And  the  dragon-king  replied  :  "  Ah  !  his  like 
is  not  to  be  got  by  every  one!  In  a  certain  mountain 
lives  an  old  woman,  who  has  in  her  stables  twelve 
wondrous  horses;  none  could  easily  tell  which  is  the 
finest!  But  in  a  corner  stands  one  that  is  apparently 
leprous ;  he  is,  in  fact,  the  best  of  the  stable,  and  whoever 

275 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

becomes  his  master,  may  ride  even  higher  than  the 
clouds.  My  steed  is  a  brother  of  those  horses,  and  if 
anyone  would  get  a  horse  from  that  old  woman  he  must 
serve  her  for  three  days.  She  has  a  mare  and  a  foal, 
and  he  who  is  her  servant  must  tend  them  for  three  days 
and  three  nights;  if  he  succeeds  in  guarding  them  and 
returns  them  to  the  old  woman,  he  is  entitled  to  choose  a 
horse  from  her  stable.  But,  if  the  servant  does  not  watch 
well  over  the  mare  and  its  foal,  he  will  indeed  lose  his 
life." 

The  old  Woman  and  her  Horses 
Next  morning,  when  the  dragon  had  left  the  castle,  the 
prince  came  and  the  queen  told  him  what  she  had  heard. 
Hastily  bidding  his  wife  farewell,  he  went  with  all  speed 
to  the  mountain,  and  finding  the  old  woman,  he  said 
to  her:  "God  help  you,  grandmother!"  And  she 
returned  the  greeting  :  "  May  God  help  you  also,  my  son ! 
What  good  wind  brought  you  here,  and  what  do  you 
wish  ?  "  He  answered :  "  I  should  like  to  serve  you." 
Thereupon  the  old  woman  said :  "  Very  well,  my  son !  If 
you  successfully  watch  my  mare  and  its  foal  for  three 
days,  I  shall  reward  you  with  a  horse  which  you  yourself 
are  at  liberty  to  choose  from  my  stable ;  but  if  you  do 
not  keep  them  safe,  you  must  die." 

Then  she  led  the  prince  into  her  courtyard,  where  he  saw 
stakes  all  around  placed  close  together,  and  on  each  save 
one  was  stuck  a  human  head.  The  one  stake  kept  shout- 
ing out  to  the  old  woman :  "  Give  me  a  head,  O  grand- 
mother !  Give  me  a  head ! "  The  old  woman  said : 
"  All  these  are  heads  of  those  who  once  served  me;  they 
did  not  succeed  in  keeping  my  mare  and  its  foal  safe,  so 
they  had  to  pay  with  their  heads  ! "  But  the  prince  was 
276 


The  old  Woman  and  her  Horses 

not  to  be  frightened  at  what  he  saw,  and  he  readily 
accepted  the  old  woman's  conditions. 
When  evening  came,  he  mounted  the  mare  and  rode  it  to 
pasture,  the  foal  following.  He  remained  seated  on  the 
mare,  but,  toward  midnight,  he  dozed  a  little  and  finally 
fell  fast  asleep.  When  he  awoke  he  saw,  to  his  great 
consternation,  that  he  was  sitting  upon  the  trunk  of  a  tree 
holding  the  mare's  bridle  in  his  hand.  He  sprang  down 
and  went  immediately  in  search  of  the  tricky  animal. 
Soon  he  came  to  a  river,  the  sight  of  which  reminded  him 
of  the  little  fish,  and  taking  the  scale  from  his  handker- 
chief, he  rubbed  it  gently  between  his  fingers,  when  lo ! 
the  fish  instantly  appeared  and  asked :  "  What  is  the 
matter,  my  brother-in-God  ? "  The  prince  answered : 
"  My  mare  has  fled,  and  I  do  not  know  where  to  look  for 
her ! "  And  the  fish  answered  :  "  Here  she  is  with  us, 
turned  into  a  fish,  and  her  foal  into  a  small  one !  Strike 
once  upon  the  water  with  the  bridle  and  shout :  "  Doora ! 
Mare  of  the  old  woman !  " 

The  prince  did  as  the  fish  told  him  ;  at  once  the  mare  and 
her  foal  came  out  of  the  water;  he  bridled  the  mare, 
mounted  and  rode  home ;  the  young  foal  trotting  after. 
The  old  woman  brought  the  prince  some  food  without  a 
word ;  then  she  took  the  mare  into  the  stable,  beat  her 
with  a  poker,  and  said  :  "  Did  I  not  tell  you  to  go  down 
among  the  fish?"  The  mare  answered:  "I  have  been 
down  to  the  fish,  but  the  fish  are  his  friends  and  they 
betrayed  me  to  him."  Thereupon  the  old  woman  said  : 
"  To-night  you  go  among  the  foxes  1  " 
When  evening  came,  the  prince  mounted  the  mare  again 
and  rode  to  the  field,  the  foal  following  its  mother.  He 
determined  again  to  remain  in  the  saddle  and  to  keep 
watch,  but,  toward  midnight,  he  was  again  overcome  by 

277 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

drowsiness  and  became  unconscious.  When  he  awoke 
next  morning,  lo !  he  was  seated  on  a  tree-trunk  holding 
fast  the  bridle.  This  alarmed  him  greatly,  and  he  looked 
here  and  he  looked  there.  But  search  as  he  would,  he 
could  find  no  trace  of  the  mare  and  her  foal.  Then  he 
remembered  his  friend  the  fox,  and  taking  the  hair  from 
the  fox's  tail  out  of  his  handkerchief,  he  rubbed  it 
gently  between  his  fingers,  and  the  fox  instantly  stood 
before  him.  "  What  is  the  matter,  my  brother-in-God  ?  " 
said  he.  The  prince  complained  of  his  misfortune,  saying 
that  he  had  hopelessly  lost  his  mare.  The  fox  soon 
reassured  him  :  "  The  mare  is  with  us,  changed  to  a  fox, 
and  her  foal  into  a  cub ;  just  strike  once  with  the  bridle 
on  the  earth,  and  shout  out  'Doora,  the  old  woman's 
mare  ! '  He  did  so,  and  sure  enough  the  mare  at  once 
appeared  before  him  with  the  foal.  So  he  bridled  her  and 
mounted,  and  when  he  reached  home  the  old  woman  gave 
him  food,  and  took  the  mare  to  the  stable  and  beat  her  with 
a  poker,  saying :  "  Why  did  you  not  turn  into  a  fox,  you 
disobedient  creature?"  And  the  mare  protested :  "  I  did 
turn  into  a  fox;  but  the  foxes  are  his  friends,  so  they 
betrayed  me  !  >!  At  this  the  old  woman  commanded : 
"  Next  time  you  go  to  the  wolves ! J> 
When  evening  came  the  prince  set  out  on  the  mare  and 
the  same  things  befell  as  before.  He  found  himself,  the 
next  morning,  sitting  on  a  tree-trunk,  and  this  time  he 
called  the  wolf,  who  said :  "  The  mare  of  the  old  woman 
is  with  us  in  the  likeness  of  a  she-wolf,  and  the  foal  of  a 
wolf's  cub;  strike  the  ground  once  with  the  bridle  and 
exclaim  :  '  Doora !  the  mare  of  the  old  woman ! '  "  The 
prince  did  as  the  wolf  counselled,  and  the  mare  reappeared 
with  her  foal  standing  behind  her. 
He  mounted  once  again  and  proceeded  to  the  old  woman's 

278 


The  Prince's  Choice 

house,  where,  on  his  arrival,  he  found  her  preparing  a 
meal.  Having  set  food  before  him,  she  took  the  mare  to 
the  stable  and  beat  her  with  a  poker.  "  Did  I  not  tell 
you  to  go  to  the  wolves,  you  wretched  creature?"  she 
scolded.  But  the  mare  protested  again,  saying :  "  I  did 
go  to  the  wolves,  but  they  are  also  his  friends  and  they 
betrayed  me ! "  Then  the  old  woman  went  back  to  the 
house  and  the  prince  said  to  her  :  "  Well,  grandmother,  I 
think  I  have  served  you  honestly;  now  I  hope  you  will 
give  me  what  you  promised  me !  "  The  old  woman 
replied  :  "  O  my  son,  verily  a  promise  must  be  fulfilled  ! 
Come  to  the  stable ;  there  are  twelve  horses ;  you  are  at 
liberty  to  choose  whichever  you  like  best !  " 

The  Princes  Choice 

Thereupon  the  prince  said  firmly :  "  Well,  why  should  I 
be  particular?  Give  me  the  leprous  horse,  standing  in 
that  corner."  The  old  woman  tried  by  all  means  in  her 
power  to  deter  him  from  taking  that  ugly  horse,  saying : 
"Why  be  so  foolish  as  to  take  that  leprous  jade  when  you 
can  have  a  fine  horse  ? "  But  the  prince  kept  to  his 
choice,  and  said :  "  Give  me  rather  the  one  I  selected,  as 
it  was  agreed  between  us  ! " 

The  old  woman,  seeing  that  he  would  not  yield,  gave 
way,  and  the  prince  took  leave  of  her  and  led  away  his 
choice.  When  they  came  to  a  forest  he  curried  and  groomed 
the  horse,  and  it  shone  as  if  its  skin  were  of  pure  gold. 
Then  he  mounted,  and,  the  horse  flying  like  a  bird,  they 
reached  the  dragon-king's  castle  in  a  few  seconds. 
The  prince  immediately  entered  and  greeted  the  queen 
with  :  "  Hasten,  all  is  ready  for  our  flight !  "  The  queen 
was  ready,  and  in  a  few  seconds  they  were  speeding  away, 
swift  as  the  wind,  on  the  back  of  the  wonderful  horse. 

279 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Shortly  after  they  had  gone,  the  dragon-king  came  home, 
and  finding  that  the  queen  had  again  disappeared,  he 
addressed  the  following  words  to  his  horse :  "What  shall 
we  do  now?  Shall  we  refresh  ourselves,  or  shall  we  go 
after  the  fugitives  at  once?"  And  his  horse  replied: 
"We  may  do  as  you  will,  but  we  shall  never  reach 
them ! " 

Upon  hearing  this  the  dragon-king  at  once  flung  himself 
upon  his  horse  and  they  were  gone  in  a  flash.     After  a 
time  the  prince  looked  behind  him  and  saw  the  dragon- 
king  in  the  distance.     He  urged  his  horse,  but  it  said : 
"  Be  not  afraid  !    There  is  no  need  to  run  quicker."    But 
the  dragon-king  drew  nearer,  so  close  that  his  horse  was 
able  to  speak  thus  to  its  brother  :  "  O  brother  dear,  tarry, 
I   beseech   you  !   else    I    shall   perish  in  running  at  this 
speed!"     But  the  prince's  horse  answered:  "Nay,  why 
be  so  foolish  as  to  carry  that  monster  ?     Fling  up  your 
hoofs  and  throw  him  against  a  rock,  then  come  with  me !  " 
At  these  words  the  dragon-king's  horse  shook  its  head, 
curved  its  back,  and  kicked  up  its  hoofs  so  furiously  that 
its  rider  was  flung  on  to  a  rock  and  killed.     Seeing  this, 
the  prince's  horse  stood  still,  its  brother  trotted  up,  and 
the  queen  mounted  on  it.     So  they  arrived  happily  in  her 
own  land,  where  they  lived  and  ruled  in  great  prosperity 
ever  after. 

X.   THE  BIRD  MAIDEN 

There  was  once  a  king  who  had  an  only  son,  whom,  when 
he  had  grown  up,  he  sent  abroad  to  seek  a  suitable  wife. 
The  prince  set  out  on  his  journey,  but,  although  he 
travelled  over  the  whole  world,  he  did  not  succeed  in 
finding  a  bride.  Finally,  after  having  exhausted  his 
patience  and  his  purse,  he  decided  to  die,  and,  that  there 
280 


The  Old  Witch 

should  not  remain  any  trace  of  him,  he  climbed  a  high 

mountain,  intending  to  throw  himself  from  the  summit. 

He  was  on  the  point  of  jumping  from  the  pinnacle,  when 

a  voice  uttered  these  mysterious  words  :   "  Stop  !   Stop  ! 

O  man  !     Do  not   kill   yourself,  for   the  sake  of   three 

hundred  and  sixty-five  which  are  in  the  year !  " 

The  prince  endeavoured  in  vain  to  discover  whence  the 

voice  came,  and,  seeing  no  one,  he  asked :  "  Who  are  you 

that  speak  to  me  ?     Show  yourself  !     If  you  knew  of  my 

troubles,  you  would  surely  not  hinder  me  !  "     Thereupon 

an  old  man  appeared,  with  hair  as  white  as  snow,  and  said 

to  the  unfortunate  prince :   "I  am  well  aware  of  all  you 

suffer ;  but  listen  to  me.     Do  you  see  yonder  high  hill  ?  " 

The  king's  son  answered  :  "Yes,  indeed."     "  Very  well," 

continued  the  old  man,  "  seated  day  and  night  in  the  same 

spot  on  the  summit  of  that  hill  there  is  an  old  woman  with 

golden  hair,  and  she  holds  a  bird  in  her  lap.      He  who 

succeeds  in  securing  that  bird  will  be  the  happiest  man  in 

the  world.     But  if  you  wish  to  try  your  luck  you  must  be 

cautious ;  you  must  approach  the  old  woman  quietly,  and, 

before  she  sees  you,  you  must  take  her  by  the  hair.  Should 

she  see  you  before  you  seize  her,  you  will  be  turned  to 

stone  then  and  there,  just  as  it  has  happened  to  many 

young  men  whom  you  will  see  there  in  the  form  of  blocks 

of  marble." 

The  Old  Witch 

When  the  prince  heard  these  words,  he  reflected  :  "  It  is 
all  one  to  me ;  I  shall  go,  and,  if  I  succeed  in  seizing  her, 
so  much  the  better  for  me  ;  but  if  she  should  see  me  before 
I  catch  her,  I  can  but  die,  as  I  had  already  resolved  to  do." 
So  he  thanked  the  old  man,  and  went  cheerfully  to  try  his 
luck.  He  soon  climbed  the  other  hill  and  saw  the  old 

281 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

woman,  whom  he  approached  very  warily  from  behind. 
Fortunately  the  old  woman  was  absorbed  in  playing  with 
the  bird,  and  so  the  prince  was  able  to  get  quite  near 
without  being  perceived.  Then  he  sprang  suddenly 
forward  and  seized  the  old  woman  by  her  golden  hair; 
whereupon  she  screamed  so  loudly  that  the  whole  hill 
shook  as  with  an  earthquake.  But  the  courageous  prince 
held  her  fast.  Then  the  old  woman  exclaimed :  "  Release 
me,  and  ask  whatever  you  wish ! "  And  the  prince 
answered :  "  I  will  do  so  if  you  let  me  have  that  bird, 
and  if  you  at  once  recall  to  life  all  these  young  men  whom 
you  have  bewitched."  The  old  woman  was  forced  to 
consent,  and  she  gave  up  the  bird.  Then  from  her  lips 
she  breathed  a  blue  wind  toward  the  petrified  figures,  so 
that  instantly  they  became  living  men  once  more.  The 
noble  prince  expressed  the  joy  in  his  heart  by  kissing  the 
bird  in  his  hands,  whereupon  it  was  transformed  into  a 
most  beautiful  girl,  whom,  it  appeared,  the  enchantress 
had  bewitched  in  order  to  lure  young  men  to  a  horrid  fate. 
The  king's  son  was  so  pleased  with  his  companion  that  he 
promptly  fell  in  love  with  her.  On  their  way  from  that 
place  the  maiden  gave  him  a  stick,  and  told  him  that  it 
would  do  everything  he  might  wish.  Presently  the  prince 
wished  that  he  had  the  wherewithal  to  travel  as  befitted  a 
prince  and  his  bride ;  he  struck  a  rock  with  the  stick,  and 
out  poured  a  torrent  of  golden  coins,  from  which  they  took 
all  they  needed  for  their  journey.  When  they  came  to  a 
river,  the  prince  touched  the  water  with  his  stick,  and  a 
dry  path  appeared,  upon  which  they  crossed  dryshod.  A 
little  farther  on  they  were  attacked  by  a  pack  of  wolves, 
but  the  prince  protected  his  bride  with  his  stick,  and  one 
by  one  the  wolves  were  turned  into  ants. 
And  many  other  adventures  they  had,  but  in  the  end  they 
282 


* 


The  old  woman  was  absorbed  in  playing  with  the  bird        282 


Lying  for  a  Wager 

arrived  safely  at  the  prince's  home.  Then  they  married 
and  they  lived  happily  ever  after. 

XL  LYING  FOR  A   WAGER 

One  day  a  father  sent  his  boy  to  the  mill  with  corn  to  be 
ground,  and,  at  the  moment  of  his  departure,  he  warned 
him  not  to  grind  it  in  any  mill  where  he  should  happen  to 
find  a  beardless  man.1 

When  the  boy  came  to  a  mill,  he  was  therefore  disappointed 
to  find  that  the  miller  was  beardless. 
"  God  bless  you,  Beardless  !  "  saluted  the  boy. 
"  May  God  help  you ! "  returned  the  miller. 
"May  I  grind  my  corn  here?"  asked  the  boy. 
"Yes,  why  not?"  responded  the  beardless  one,  "my  corn 
will  be  soon  ground ;  you  can  then  grind  yours  as  long  as 
you  please." 

But  the  boy,  remembering  his  father's  warning,  left  this 
mill  and  went  to  another  up  the  brook.  But  Beardless 
took  some  grain  and,  hurrying  by  a  shorter  way,  reached 
the  second  mill  first  and  put  some  of  his  corn  there  to  be 
ground.  When  the  boy  arrived  and  saw  that  the  miller 
was  again  a  beardless  man,  he  hastened  to  a  third  mill ; 
but  again  Beardless  hurried  by  a  short  cut,  and  reached  it 
before  the  boy.  He  did  the  same  at  a  fourth  mill,  so  that 
the  boy  concluded  that  all  millers  are  beardless  men.  He 
therefore  put  down  his  sack,  and  when  the  corn  of  Beard- 
less was  ground  he  took  his  turn  at  the  mill.  When  all  of 
his  grain  had  been  ground  Beardless  proposed :  "  Listen, 
my  boy !  Let  us  make  a  loaf  of  your  flour." 
The  boy  had  not  forgotten  his  father's  injunction  to  have 
nothing  to  do  with  beardless  millers,  but  as  he  saw  no 
way  out  of  it,  he  accepted  the  proposal.  So  Beardless  now 
1  Beardless  is  used  as  the  personification  of  craftiness  and  sharpness, 

283 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

took  all  the  flour,  mixed  it  with  water,  which  the  boy 

brought  him,  and  thus  made  a  very  large  loaf.      Then 

they  fired  the  oven  and  baked  the  loaf,  which,  when  finished, 

they  placed  against  the  wall. 

Then  the  miller  proposed  :  "  Listen,  my  boy !     If  we  were 

now  to  divide  this  loaf  between  us,  there  would  be  little 

enough  for  either  of  us,  let  us  therefore  tell  each  other 

stories,  and  whoever  tells  the  greatest  lie  shall  have  the 

whole  loaf  for  himself." 

The  boy  reflected  a  little  and,  seeing  no  way  of  helping 

himself,  said:  "Very  well,  but  you  must  begin." 

Then  Beardless  told  various  stories  till  he  got  quite  tired. 

Then  the  boy  said :  "  Eh,  my  dear  Beardless,  it  is  a  pity  if  you 

do  not  know  any  more,  for  what  you  have  said  is  really 

nothing ;  only  listen,  and  I  shall  tell  you  now  the  real  truth." 

The  Boys  Story 

"  In  my  young  days,  when  I  was  an  old  man,  we  possessed 
many  beehives,  and  I  used  to  count  the  bees  every  morn- 
ing ;  I  counted  them  easily  enough,  but  I  could  never 
contrive  to  count  the  beehives.  Well,  one  morning,  as  I 
was  counting  the  bees,  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  find 
that  the  best  bee  was  missing,  so  I  saddled  a  cock, 
mounted  it,  and  started  in  search  of  my  bee.  I  traced  it 
to  the  sea-shore,  and  saw  that  it  had  gone  over  the  sea, 
so  I  decided  to  follow  it.  When  I  had  crossed  the  water, 
I  discovered  that  a  peasant  had  caught  my  bee;  he 
was  ploughing  his  fields  with  it  and  was  about  to  sow 
millet.  So  I  exclaimed  :  *  That  is  my  bee !  How  did 
you  get  it  ? '  And  the  ploughman  answered :  «  Brother, 
if  this  is  really  your  bee,  come  here  and  take  it ! '  So  I 
went  to  him  and  he  gave  me  back  my  bee,  and  a  sack 
full  of  millet  on  account  of  the  services  my  bee  had 
284 


The  Boy's  Story 

rendered  him.     Then   I  put  the  sack  on  my  back,  and 
moved  the   saddle  from  the  cock  to  the   bee.     Then   I 
mounted,  and  led  the  cock  behind  me  that  it  might  rest 
a  little.     As  I  was  crossing  the  sea,  one  of  the  strings  of 
my  sack  burst,  and  all  the  millet  poured  into  the  water. 
When  I  had  got  across,  it  was  already  night,  so  I  alighted 
and  let  the  bee  loose  to  graze ;  as  to  the  cock,  I  fastened 
him  near  me,  and  gave  him  some  hay.     After  that  I  laid 
myself  down  to  sleep.     When  I  rose  next  morning,  great 
was  my  surprise  to  see  that  during  the  night,  the  wolves 
had  slaughtered  and  devoured  my  bee;  and  the  honey 
was  spread  about  the  valley,,  knee-deep^  and  ankle-deep 
on  the  hills.     Then  I  was  puzzled  to  know  in  what  vessel 
I  could  gather  up  all  the  honey.    Meantime  I  remembered 
I  had  a  little  axe  with  me,  so  I  went  into  the  woods  to 
catch  a  beast,  in  order  to  make  a  bag  of  its  skin.     When 
I  reached  the  forest,  I  saw  two  deer  dancing  on  one  leg ; 
so  I  threw  my  axe,  broke  their  only  leg  and  caught  them 
both.     From  those  two  deer  I  drew  three  skins  and  made 
a  bag  of  each,  and  in  them  gathered  up  all  the  honey. 
Then  I  loaded  the  cock  with  the  bags  and  hurried  home- 
ward.    When  I  arrived  home  I  found  that  my  father  had 
just  been  born,  and  I  was  told  to  go  to  heaven  to  fetch 
some  holy  water.     I  did  not  know  how  to  get  there,  but  as 
I  pondered  the  matter  I  remembered  the  millet  which  had 
fallen  into  the  sea.     I  went  back  to  that  place  and  found 
that  the  grain  had  grown  up  quite  to  heaven,  for  the 
place  where  it  had  fallen  was  rather  damp,  so  I  climbed 
up  by  one  of  the  stems.     Upon  reaching  heaven  I  found 
that  the  millet  had  ripened,  and  an  angel  had  harvested 
the  grain  and  had  made  a  loaf  of  it,  and  was  eating  it 
with  some  warm  milk.     I  greeted  him,  saying :    '  God 
bless  you ! '      The  angel   responded :    '  May   God   help 

285 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

you  ! '  and  gave  me  some  holy  water.  On  my  way  back  I 
found  that  there  had  been  a  great  rain,  so  that  the  sea  had 
risen  so  high  that  my  millet  was  carried  away !  I  was 
frightened  as  to  how  I  should  descend  again  to  earth, 
but  at  length  I  remembered  that  I  had  long  hair — it  is 
so  long  that  when  I  am  standing  upright  it  reaches  down 
to  the  ground,  and  when  I  sit  it  reaches  to  my  ears. 
Well,  I  took  out  my  knife  and  cut  off  one  hair  after 
another,  tying  them  end  to  end  as  I  descended  on  them. 
Meantime  darkness  overtook  me  before  I  got  to  the 
bottom,  and  so  I  decided  to  make  a  large  knot  and  to 
pass  the  night  on  it.  But  what  was  I  to  do  without 
a  fire!  The  tinder-box  I  had  with  me,  but  I  had  no 
wood.  Suddenly  I  remembered  that  I  had  in  my  vest  a 
sewing  needle,  so  I  found  it,  split  it  and  made  a  big  fire, 
which  warmed  me  nicely  ;  then  I  laid  myself  down  to 
sleep.  When  I  fell  asleep,  unfortunately  a  flame  burnt 
the  hair  through,  and,  head  over  heels,  I  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  sank  into  the  earth  up  to  my  girdle.  I 
moved  about  to  see  how  I  could  get  out,  and,  when  I 
found  that  I  was  tightly  interred,  I  hurried  home  for  a 
spade  and  came  back  and  dug  myself  out.  As  soon  as  I 
was  freed,  I  took  the  holy  water  and  started  for  home. 
When  I  arrived  reapers  were  working  in  the  field.  It 
was  such  a  hot  day,  that  I  feared  the  poor  men  would 
burn  to  death,  and  called  to  them :  '  Why  do  you  not 
bring  here  our  mare  which  is  two  days'  journey  long  and 
half  a  day  broad,  and  on  whose  back  large  willows  are 
growing;  she  could  make  some  shade  where  you  are 
working  ?  '  My  father  hearing  this,  quickly  brought  the 
mare,  and  the  reapers  continued  working  in  the  shade. 
Then  I  took  a  jug  in  which  to  fetch  some  water.  When 
I  came  to  the  well,  I  found  the  water  was  quite  frozen,  so 
286 


"  The  whole  loaf  is  for  thce,  and  Beardless  is  to  get  nothing!  "     286 


The  Maiden  Wiser  than  the  Tsar 

I  took  my  head  off  and  broke  the  ice  with  it ;  then  I 
filled  the  jug  and  carried  the  water  to  the  reapers.  When 
they  saw  me  they  asked  me :  *  Where  is  your  head  ? '  I 
lifted  my  hand,  and,  to  my  great  surprise,  my  head  was 
not  upon  my  shoulders,  and  then  I  remembered  having 
left  it  by  the  well.  I  went  back  at  once,  but  found  that 
a  fox  was  there  before  me,  and  was  busy  devouring  my 
head.  I  approached  slowly  and  struck  the  beast  fiercely 
with  my  foot,  so  that  in  great  fear,  it  dropped  a  little 
book.  This  I  picked  up  and  on  opening  it,  found  written 
in  it  these  words :  '  The  whole  loaf  is  for  thee,  and 
Beardless  is  to  get  nothing ! ' " 

Saying  this,  the  boy  took  hold  of  the  loaf  and  made  off. 
As  for  Beardless,  he  was  speechless,  and  remained  gazing 
after  the  boy  in  astonishment. 

XII.  THE  MAIDEN  WISER  THAN 
THE  TSAR 

Long  ago  there  lived  an  old  man,  who  dwelt  in  a  poor 
cottage.  He  possessed  one  thing  only  in  the  world,  and 
that  was  a  daughter  who  was  so  wise  that  she  could  teach 
even  her  old  father. 

One  day  the  man  went  to  the  tsar  to  beg,  and  the  tsar, 
astonished  at  his  cultivated  speech,  asked  him  whence  he 
came  and  who  had  taught  him  to  converse  so  well.  He 
told  the  tsar  where  he  lived,  and  that  it  was  his  daughter 
who  had  taught  him  to  speak  with  eloquence. 
«*  And  where  was  your  daughter  taught  ?  "  asked  the  tsar. 
"  God  and  our  poverty  have  made  her  wise,"  answered  the 
poor  man. 

Thereupon  the  tsar  gave  him  thirty  eggs  and  said :  "  Take 
these  to  your  daughter,  and  command  her  in  my  name 
to  bring  forth  chickens  from  them.  If  she  does  this 

287 


Tales  ®P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

successfully  I  will  give  her  rich  presents,  but  if  she  fails 
you  shall  be  tortured." 

The  poor  man,  weeping,  returned  to  his  cottage  and  told 
all  this  to  his  daughter.  The  maiden  saw  at  once  that 
the  eggs  which  the  tsar  had  sent  were  boiled,  and  bade 
her  father  rest  while  she  considered  what  was  to  be  done. 
Then  while  the  old  man  was  sleeping  the  girl  filled  a  pot 
with  water  and  boiled  some  beans. 

Next  morning  she  woke  her  father  and  begged  him  to  take 
a  plough  and  oxen  and  plough  near  the  road  where  the 
tsar  would  pass.  "  When  you  see  him  coming,"  said 
she,  "  take  a  handful  of  beans,  and  while  you  are  sowing 
them  you  must  shout :  '  Go  on,  my  oxen,  and  may  God 
grant  that  the  boiled  beans  may  bear  fruit ! '  Then,"  she 
went  on,  "  when  the  tsar  asks  you,  '  How  can  you  expect 
boiled  beans  to  bear  fruit  ?  '  answer  him :  '  just  as  from 
boiled  eggs  one  can  produce  chicks ! ' 
The  old  man  did  as  his  daughter  told  him,  and  went  forth 
to  plough.  When  he  saw  the  tsar  he  took  out  a  handful 
of  beans,  and  exclaimed  :  "  Go  on,  my  oxen !  And  may 
God  grant  that  the  boiled  beans  may  bear  fruit !  "  Upon 
hearing  these  words  the  tsar  stopped  his  carriage,  and 
said  to  the  man  :  "  My  poor  fellow,  how  can  you  expect 
boiled  beans  to  bear  fruit  ?  " 

"Just    as   from  boiled  eggs  one  can   produce   chicks!" 
answered  the  apparently  simple  old  man. 
The  tsar  laughed  and  passed  on,  but  he  had  recognized 
the  old  man,  and  guessed  that  his  daughter  had  instructed 
him  to  say  this.     He  therefore  sent  officers  to  bring  the 
peasant  into  his  presence.     When  the  old  man  came,  the 
tsar  gave  him  a  bunch  of  flax,  saying :  "  Take  this,  and 
make  out  of  it  all  the  sails  necessary  for  a  ship ;  if  you  do 
not,  you  shall  lose  your  life." 
288 


The  Tsar  Sends  for  the  Girl 

The  poor  man  took  the  flax  with  great  fear,  and  went  home 
in  tears  to  tell  his  daughter  of  his  new  task.  The  wise 
maiden  soothed  him,  and  said  that  if  he  would  rest  she 
would  contrive  some  plan.  Next  morning  she  gave  her 
father  a  small  piece  of  wood,  and  bade  him  take  it  to  the 
tsar  with  the  demand  that  from  it  should  be  made  all  the 
necessary  tools  for  spinning  and  weaving,  that  he  should 
thereby  be  enabled  to  execute  his  Majesty's  order.  The 
old  man  obeyed,  and  when  the  tsar  heard  the  extraordinary 
request  he  was  greatly  astounded  at  the  astuteness  of  the 
girl,  and,  not  to  be  outdone,  he  took  a  small  glass,  saying : 
"  Take  this  little  glass  to  your  daughter,  and  tell  her  she 
must  empty  the  sea  with  it,  so  that  dry  land  shall  be  where 
the  ocean  now  is." 

The  old  man  went  home  heavily  to  tell  this  to  his  daughter. 
But  the  girl  again  reassured  him,  and  next  morning  she 
gave  him  a  pound  of  tow,  saying :  "  Take  this  to  the  tsar 
and  say,  that  when  with  this  tow  he  dams  the  sources  of  all 
rivers  and  streams  I  will  dry  up  the  sea." 

The  Tsar  Sends  for  the  Girl 

The  father  went  back  to  the  tsar  and  told  him  what 
his  daughter  had  said,  and  the  tsar,  seeing  that  the 
girl  was  wiser  than  himself,  ordered  that  she  should  be 
brought  before  him.  When  she  appeared  the  tsar  asked 
her:  *'Can  you  guess  what  it  is  that  can  be  heard  at  the 
greatest  distance?"  and  the  girl  answered:  "Your 
Majesty,  there  are  two  things :  the  thunder  and  the  lie 
can  be  heard  at  the  greatest  distance !  " 
The  astonished  tsar  grasped  his  beard,  and,  turning  to 
his  attendants,  exclaimed :  "  Guess  what  my  beard  is 
worth  ?  "  Some  said  so  much,  others  again  so  much  ;  but 
the  maiden  observed  to  the  tsar  that  none  of  his  courtiers 

T  289 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

had  guessed  right.  "  His  Majesty's  beard  is  worth  as  much 
as  three  summer  rains,"  she  said.  The  tsar,  more  astonished 
than  ever,  said:  "The  maiden  has  guessed  rightly!" 
Then  he  asked  her  to  become  his  wife,  for  "  I  love  you," 
said  he.  The  girl  had  become  enamoured  of  the  tsar, 
and  she  bowed  low  before  him  and  said  :  "  Your  glorious 
Majesty !  Let  it  be  as  you  wish !  But  I  pray  that  your 
Majesty  may  be  graciously  pleased  to  write  with  your  own 
hand  on  a  piece  of  parchment  that  should  you  or  any  of 
your  courtiers  ever  be  displeased  with  me,  and  in  con- 
sequence banish  me  from  the  palace,  I  shall  be  allowed  j 
take  with  me  any  one  thing  which  I  like  best." 
The  tsar  gladly  consented,  wrote  out  this  declaration  and 
affixed  his  signature. 

Some  years  passed  by  happily  but  there  came  at  last  a 
day  when  the  tsar  was  offended  with  the  tsarina  and  he 
said  angrily :  "  You  shall  be  no  longer  my  wife,  I  com- 
mand you  to  leave  my  palace  !  " 

The  tsarina  answered  dutifully:  "O  most  glorious  tsar, 
I  will  obey  ;  permit  me  to  pass  but  one  night  in  the  palace, 
and  to-morrow  I  will  depart." 
To  this  the  tsar  assented. 

That  evening,  at  supper,  the  tsarina  mixed  certain  herbs 
in  wine  and  gave  the  cup  to  the  tsar,  saying  :  "  Drink,  O 
most  glorious  tsar  !  And  be  of  good  cheer !  I  am  to  go 
away,  but,  believe  me,  I  shall  be  happier  than  when  I  first 
met  you ! " 

The  tsar,  having  drunk  the  potion  fell  asleep.     Then  the 
tsarina  who  had  a  coach  in  readiness,  placed  the  tsar  in 
it  and  carried  him  off  to  her  father's  cottage. 
When  his  Majesty  awoke  next  morning  and  saw  that  he 
was   in   a   cottage,    he   exclaimed :    "Who   brought   me 
here?" 
290 


He  could  ?wtfind  a  word  to  say 


290 


The  First  Voyage 

"  I  did,"  answered  the  tsarina. 

The   tsar  protested,  saying :  "  How  have  you  dared  do 

so?     Did    I   not   tell   you   that  you  are  no  longer   my 

wife?" 

Instead  of  answering  the  tsarina  produced  the  parchment 

containing   the   tsar's  promise  and  he  could  not  find  a 

word  to  say. 

Then  the  tsarina  said  :  "As  you  see,  you  promised  that 

should  I  be  banished  from  your  palace  I  should  be  at 

liberty  to  take  with  me  that  which  I  liked  best !  " 

Hearing   this,  the  tsar's  love  for   his   spouse   returned, 

he  took  her  in  his  arms,  and  they  returned  to  the  palace 

together. 

XI I L  GOOD  DEEDS  NEVER  PERISH 
Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  man  and  woman  who  had 
one  son.  When  the  boy  grew  up  his  parents  endeavoured 
to  give  him  a  suitable  education  which  would  be  useful  in 
his  after  life.  He  was  a  good,  quiet  boy,  and  above  all 
he  feared  God.  After  he  had  completed  his  studies,  his 
father  intrusted  him  with  a  galley  laden  with  various 
goods,  so  that  he  might  trade  with  distant  countries,  and 
be  the  support  of  his  parents'  old  age. 

The  First  Voyage 

On  his  first  voyage  he  one  day  met  with  a  Turkish  ship, 
in  which  he  heard  weeping.  So  he  called  to  the  sailors  on 
the  Turkish  vessel :  "  I  pray  you,  tell  me  why  there  is  such 
sorrow  on  board  your  ship!  "  And  they  answered  :  "We 
have  many  slaves  whom  we  have  captured  in  various  parts 
of  the  world,  and  those  who  are  chained  are  weeping  and 
lamenting."  Thereupon  the  young  man  said :  "  Pray,  O 
brethren,  ask  your  captain  if  he  will  allow  me  to  ransom 

291 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

the  slaves  for  a  sum  of  money  ?  "  The  sailors  gladly  called 
their  captain,  who  was  willing  to  bargain,  and  in  the  end 
the  young  man  gave  his  ship  with  all  its  cargo  to  the 
Turk,  in  exchange  for  his  vessel  containing  the  slaves. 
The  young  man  asked  each  slave  whence  he  came,  and 
gave  to  all  their  freedom,  and  said  that  each  might  return 
to  his  own  country. 

Among  the  slaves  was  an  old  woman  who  held  a  most 
beautiful  maiden  by  the  arm.  When  he  asked  whence 
they  came,  the  old  woman  answered  through  her  tears  : 
"  We  come  from  a  far-away  country.  This  young  girl  is 
the  only  daughter  of  the  tsar,  whom  I  have  brought  up 
from  her  infancy.  One  unlucky  day  she  was  walking  in 
the  palace  gardens,  and  wandered  to  a  lonely  spot,  where 
those  accursed  Turks  saw  her  and  seized  her.  She  began 
to  scream,  and  I,  who  happened  to  be  near,  ran  to  help 
her,  but  alas !  I  could  not  save  her,  and  the  Turks  carried 
us  both  on  board  this  galley."  Then  the  good  nurse  and 
the  beautiful  girl,  not  knowing  the  way  to  their  own 
country,  and  having  no  means  of  returning  thither,  im- 
plored the  young  man  to  take  them  with  him.  And  this 
he  was  quite  willing  to  do ;  indeed,  he  had  immediately 
fallen  in  love  with  the  princess,  and  he  now  married  the 
poor  homeless  maiden,  and,  together  with  her  and  the  old 
woman,  returned  home. 

On  their  arrival,  his  father  asked  where  his  galley  and 
its  cargo  were,  and  he  told  him  how  he  had  ransomed  the 
slaves  and  set  them  at  liberty.  "  This  girl,"  said  he,  "is 
the  daughter  of  a  tsar,  and  this  old  woman  is  her 
nurse;  as  they  could  not  return  to  their  country  I  took 
them  with  me,  and  I  have  married  the  maiden."  There- 
upon his  father  grew  very  angry,  and  said  :  "  O  foolish 
son,  what  have  you  done?  Why  did  you  dispose  so 
292 


The  Second  Voyage 

stupidly  of  my  property  without  my  permission  ?  "  and  he 
drove  him  out  of  the  house. 

Fortunately  for  the  young  man,  a  good  neighbour  offered 
him  hospitality,  and,  with  his  wife  and  her  old  nurse,  he 
resided  for  a  long  time  near  by,  endeavouring,  through 
the  influence  of  his  mother  and  friends,  to  persuade  his 
father  to  forgive  him. 

The  Second  Voyage 

After  some  time  the  father  relented,  and  received  his  son 
again  in  his  house,  together  with  his  young  wife  and  her 
nurse.  Soon  after,  he  purchased  a  second  galley,  larger 
and  finer  than  the  first,  and  loaded  it  with  merchandise 
wherewith  his  son  might  trade  to  great  profit,  if  so  be 
that  he  were  wise. 

The  young  man  sailed  in  this  new  vessel,  leaving  his  wife 
and  her  nurse  in  the  house  of  his  parents,  and  soon  came 
to  a  certain  city,  where  he  beheld  a  sorrowful  sight.  He 
saw  soldiers  busied  in  seizing  poor  peasants  and  throwing 
them  into  prison,  and  he  asked  :  "Why,  brethren,  are  you 
showing  such  cruelty  to  these  unfortunate  people  ? " 
And  the  soldiers  replied  :  "  Because  they  have  not  paid 
the  tsar's  taxes."  The  young  man  at  once  went  to 
the  officer  and  said :  "  I  pray  you,  tell  me  how  much 
these  poor  people  must  pay."  The  officer  told  him  the 
amount  due,  and,  without  hesitation,  the  young  man 
sold  his  galley  and  the  cargo,  and  discharged  the  debts 
of  all  the  prisoners.  He  now  returned  home,  and, 
falling  at  the  feet  of  his  father,  he  told  him  the  story  and 
begged  that  he  might  be  forgiven.  But  his  father  grew 
exceedingly  angry  this  time,  and  drove  him  away  from 
his  house. 

What  could  the  unhappy  son  do  in  this  fresh  trouble? 

293 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

How  could  he  beg,  he  whose  parents  were  so  well-to-do  ? 
Old  friends  of  the  family  again  used  their  influence  with 
his  father,  urging  that  he  should  take  pity  on  his  son  and 
receive  him  back,  "  for,"  said  they,  "  it  is  certain  that 
suffering  has  made  him  wiser,  and  that  he  will  never 
again  act  so  foolishly."  At  length  his  father  yielded,  took 
him  again  into  his  house,  and  prepared  a  third  galley  for 
him,  much  larger  and  finer  than  the  two  former  ones. 

The  Third  Voyage 

The  young  man  was  overjoyed  at  his  good  fortune,  and  he 
had  the  portrait  of  his  beloved  wife  painted  on  the  helm, 
and  that  of  the  old  nurse  on  the  stern.  When  all  the 
preparations  for  a  new  voyage  were  completed,  he  took 
leave  of  his  parents,  his  wife,  and  other  members  of  the 
family,  and  weighed  anchor.  After  sailing  for  some  time 
he  arrived  at  a  great  city,  in  which  there  lived  a  tsar,  and, 
dropping  anchor,  he  fired  his  guns  as  a  salute  to  the  city. 
Toward  evening  the  tsar  sent  one  of  his  ministers  to  learn 
who  the  stranger  was  and  whence  he  came,  and  to  inform 
him  that  his  master  would  come  at  nine  o'clock  next 
morning  to  visit  the  galley.  The  minister  was  astounded 
to  see  on  the  helm  the  portrait  of  the  imperial  princess — 
whom  the  tsar  had  promised  to  him  in  marriage  when  she 
was  still  a  child — and  on  the  stern  that  of  the  old  nurse ; 
but  he  did  not  make  any  remark,  nor  did  he  tell  anyone 
at  the  palace  what  he  had  seen.  At  nine  o'clock  next 
morning  the  tsar  came  on  board  the  galley  with  his 
ministers,  and,  as  he  paced  the  deck,  conversing  with  the 
captain,  he  also  saw  the  portrait  of  the  maiden  painted  on 
the  helm  and  that  of  the  old  woman  on  the  stern,  and  he 
recognized  at  once  the  features  of  his  only  daughter  and 
her  nurse,  whom  the  Turks  had  captured.  At  once  he 
294 


The  Third  Voyage 

conceived  the  hope  that  his  beloved  child  was  alive  and  well, 
but  he  could  not  trust  himself  to  speak,  so  great  was  his 
emotion.  Composing  himself  as  best  he  could,  he  invited 
the  captain  to  come  at  two  o'clock  that  afternoon  to  his 
palace,  intending  to  question  him,  hoping  thus  to  confirm 
the  hopes  of  his  heart. 

Punctually  at  two  o'clock  the  captain  appeared  at  the 
palace,  and  the  tsar  at  once  began  to  question  him  in  a 
roundabout  manner  as  to  the  maiden  whose  portrait  he 
had  seen  on  the  helm  of  his  galley.  Was  she  one  of  his 
relations,  and,  if  so,  in  what  degree?  He  was  also 
curious  concerning  the  old  woman  whose  likeness  was 
painted  on  the  stern. 

The  young  captain  guessed  at  once  that  the  tsar  must 
be  his  wife's  father,  and  he  related  to  him  word  by  word  all 
his  adventures,  not  omitting  to  say  that,  having  found  that 
the  young  maiden  and  her  nurse  had  forgotten  the  way 
back  to  their  country,  he  had  taken  pity  on  them  and 
later  had  espoused  the  maiden.  Hearing  this  the  tsar 
exclaimed :  "  That  girl  is  my  only  child  and  the  old 
woman  is  her  nurse ;  hasten  and  bring  my  daughter  here 
that  I  may  see  her  once  more  before  I  die.  Bring  here 
also  your  parents  and  all  your  family ;  your  father  will  be 
my  brother  and  your  mother  my  sister,  for  you  are  my 
son  and  the  heir  to  my  crown.  Go  and  sell  all  your 
property  and  come  that  we  may  live  together  in  my 
palace !  "  Then  he  called  the  tsarina,  his  wife,  and  all 
his  ministers,  that  they  might  hear  the  joyful  news,  and 
there  was  great  joy  in  the  court. 

After  this  the  tsar  gave  the  captain  a  magnificent  ship 
requesting  him  to  leave  his  own  galley  behind.  The 
young  man  was,  of  course,  very  grateful,  but  he  said :  "  O 
glorious  tsar!  My  parents  will  not  believe  me,  if  you  do 

295 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

not  send  one  of  your  ministers  to  accompany  me." 
Thereupon  the  tsar  appointed  as  his  companion  for  the 
voyage,  the  very  minister  to  whom  he  had  formerly 
promised  his  daughter  in  marriage. 

The  captain's  father  was  greatly  surprised  to  see  his  son 
return  so  soon  and  in  such  a  magnificent  ship.  Then 
the  young  man  related  to  his  father  and  others  all  that 
had  happened,  and  the  imperial  minister  confirmed  all  his 
statements.  When  the  princess  saw  the  minister  she  ex- 
claimed joyfully :  "  Yes,  indeed,  all  that  he  has  said  is 
true;  this  is  my  father's  minister,  who  was  to  be  my 
betrothed."  Then  the  man  and  his  family  sold  all  their 
property  and  went  on  board  the  ship. 

The  Treacherous  Minister 

Now  the  minister  was  a  wicked  man,  and  he  had  formed  a 
design  to  kill  the  young  husband  of  the  princess  that  he 
might  espouse  her  and  one  day  become  tsar.  Accord- 
ingly during  the  voyage  he  called  the  young  man  on  deck 
one  night  to  confer  with  him.  The  captain  had  a  quiet 
conscience  and  did  not  suspect  evil,  wherefore  he  was 
entirely  unprepared  when  the  minister  seized  him  and 
threw  him  swiftly  overboard.  The  ship  was  sailing  fast ; 
it  was  impossible  that  he  could  reach  it,  so  he  fell 
gradually  behind.  By  great  good  luck  he  was  very  near 
to  land  and  soon  he  was  cast  ashore  by  the  waves.  But, 
alas  !  this  land  was  but  a  bare  uninhabited  rock. 
Meantime  the  minister  had  stolen  back  to  his  cabin  and 
next  morning  when  it  was  found  that  the  captain  had 
disappeared,  all  began  to  weep  and  wail,  thinking  that  he 
had  fallen  overboard  in  the  night  and  been  drowned.  His 
family  would  not  be  consoled,  more  especially  his  wife, 
who  loved  him  so  much.  When  they  arrived  at  the  tsar's 
296 


The  Young  Man's  Return 

palace  and  reported  that  the  young  man  had  been  acci- 
dentally drowned,  the  entire  court  mourned  with  them. 
For  fifteen  days  the  tsar's  unhappy  son-in-law  was  con- 
demned to  a  bare  subsistence  upon  the  scanty  grass  which 
grew  upon  the  rocky  islet.  His  skin  was  tanned  by  the 
hot  sun  and  his  garments  became  soiled  and  torn,  so  that 
no  one  could  have  recognized  him.  On  the  morrow  of 
the  fifteenth  day,  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  perceive  an 
old  man  on  the  shore,  leaning  on  a  stick,  engaged  in 
fishing.  He  began  at  once  to  hail  the  old  man  and  to 
beseech  him  to  help  him  off  the  rock.  The  old  fisherman 
said  :  "  I  will  save  you,  if  you  will  pay  me  !  "  "  How 
can  I  pay  you,"  answered  the  castaway,  "when,  as  you 
see,  I  have  only  these  rags,  and  nothing  more  ?"  "  Oh, 
as  for  that,"  replied  the  old  man,  "you  can  write  and 
sign  a  promise  to  give  me  a  half  of  everything  that  you 
may  ever  possess."  The  young  man  gladly  made  this 
promise.  Then  the  old  man  produced  writing  materials 
and  the  young  man  signed  the  agreement,  after  which 
they  both  sailed  in  the  old  man's  fishing  boat  to  the 
mainland.  After  that  the  young  man  wandered  from 
house  to  house  and  from  village  to  village,  a  barefoot 
beggar,  in  rags,  sunburnt,  and  hungry. 

The  Young  Mans  Return 

After  thirty  days'  journeying,  good  luck  led  him  to  the 
city  of  the  tsar  and  he  sat  him  down,  staff  in  hand,  at 
the  gates  of  the  palace,  still  wearing  on  his  finger  his 
wedding-ring,  on  which  was  engraved  his  name  and  that 
of  his  wife.  The  servants  of  the  tsar,  pitying  his  sad 
plight,  offered  him  shelter  for  the  night  in  the  palace  and 
gave  him  to  eat  fragments  from  their  own  dinner.  Next 
morning  he  went  to  the  garden  of  the  palace,  but  the 

297 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

gardener  came  and  drove  him  away,  saying  that  the  tsar 
and  his  family  were  soon  coming  by.     He  moved  from 
that  spot  and  sat  down  in  a  corner  on  the  grass,  when 
suddenly  he  saw  the  tsar  walking  with  his  own  mother 
and    father,   who    had   remained    at    the   court    as   the 
tsar's  guests,  and  his  beloved  wife  walking  arm  in  arm 
with  his  enemy,  the  minister.     He  did  not  yet  wish  to 
reveal  himself,  but  as  the  tsar  and  his  train  passed  by 
and  gave  him  alms,  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  receive 
it   and   the   wedding-ring    upon    his    finger   caught   the 
princess's  eye.      She  recognized   it  at  once,  but   it  was 
incredible  that  the  beggar  could  be  her  husband,  and  she 
said  to  him  :  "  Pray,  give  me  your  hand  that  I  may  see 
your  ring  ! >J     The  minister  protested,  but  the  princess  did 
not  pay  any  attention  to  him,  and  proceeded  to  examine 
the  ring,  to  find  there  her  own  name  and  that  of  her  husband. 
Her  heart  was  greatly  agitated  at  the  sight,  but  she  made 
an  effort  to  control  her  feelings  and  said  nothing.     Upon 
her  return  to  the  palace  she  appeared  before  her  father 
and  told  him  what  she  had  seen.     "  Please  send  for  him," 
said  she,  "  and  we  may  find  out  how  the  ring  came  into 
his  possession ! "     The  tsar  immediately  sent  an  attendant 
to  fetch  the  beggar.     The  order  was  executed  at  once, 
and,  when  the  stranger  appeared  the  tsar  asked  him  his 
name,  whence  he  came,  and  in  what  manner  he  obtained 
the  ring.     The  unfortunate  young  man  could  no  longer 
maintain  his  disguise,  so  telling  the  tsar  who  he  was,  he 
went  on  to  relate  all  his  adventures  since  the  minister 
treacherously  threw  him  into  the  sea.     "  Behold !  "  said 
he  at  last,  "  Our  gracious  Lord  and  my  right-dealing  has 
brought  me  back  to  my  parents  and  my  wife."     Almost 
beside  themselves  for  joy,  the  tsar  called  for  the  young 
man's  parents  and  imparted  to  them  the  good  news.    Who 
298 


i 


ay^  give  me  your  hand  that  1  mav  see  vour  ring  I          298 


The  Young  Man's  Return 

could  express  the  joy  of  the  aged  couple  when  they 
identified  their  son?  Words  fail,  also,  to  describe  ade- 
quately the  rejoicing  which  filled  the  hearts  of  the  entire 
court."  The  servants  prepared  perfumed  baths  for  the 
young  man  and  brought  him  sumptuous  new  garments. 
The  tsar  gave  orders  that  he  should  be  crowned  as  tsar, 
and  for  several  days  there  were  wonderful  festivities,  in 
which  the  whole  city  joined;  everywhere  was  singing, 
dancing  and  feasting.  The  old  tsar  summoned  the  wicked 
minister  to  appear  before  his  son-in-law,  to  be  dealt  with 
according  to  his  will.  But  the  young  tsar  had  a  kind 
heart,  so  he  forgave  him  upon  the  condition  that  he  should 
leave  the  tsardom  without  delay,  and  never  come  back 
during  his  reign. 

The  new  tsar  had  hardly  began  to  rule,  when  the  old 
fisherman  who  had  saved  him  from  the  rocky  isle  came 
and  craved  audience.  The  tsar  at  once  received  his 
deliverer  who  produced  the  written  promise.  "Very 
well,  old  man/'  said  the  tsar ;  "  to-day  I  am  ruler,  but 
I  will  as  readily  fulfil  my  word  as  if  I  were  a  beggar  with 
little  to  share ;  so  let  us  divide  my  possessions  in  two 
equal  parts."  Then  the  tsar  took  the  books  and  began 
to  divide  the  cities,  saying :  "  This  is  for  you — this  is 
for  me."  So  he  marked  all  on  a  map,  till  the  whole 
tsardom  was  divided  between  them,  from  the  greatest 
city  to  the  poorest  hut. 

When  the  tsar  had  finished  the  old  man  said  :  "Take  all 
back !  I  am  not  a  man  of  this  world ;  I  am  an  angel 
from  God,  who  sent  me  to  save  you  on  account  of  your 
good  deeds.  Now  reign  and  be  happy,  and  may  you  live 
long  in  complete  prosperity !  "  So  saying,  he  vanished 
suddenly,  and  the  young  tsar  ruled  in  great  happiness 
ever  after. 

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Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

XIV.  HE  WHOM  GOD  HELPS 
NO  ONE  CAN  HARM 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  man  and  his  wife,  and 
they  were  blessed  with  three  sons.  The  youngest  son  was 
the  most  handsome,  and  he  possessed  a  better  heart  than 
his  brothers,  who  thought  him  a  fool.  When  the  three 
brothers  had  arrived  at  man's  estate,  they  came  together 
to  their  father,  each  of  them  asking  permission  to  marry. 
The  father  was  embarrassed  with  this  sudden  wish  of  his 
sons,  and  said  he  would  first  take  counsel  with  his  wife  as 
to  his  answer. 

The  First  Quest 

A  few  days  later  the  man  called  his  sons  together  and  told 
them  to  go  to  the  neighbouring  town  and  seek  for  employ- 
ment. "  He  who  brings  me  the  finest  rug  will  obtain  my 
permission  to  marry  first,"  he  said. 

The  brothers  started  off  to  the  neighbouring  town  together. 
On  the  way  the  two  elder  brothers  began  to  make  fun  of 
the  youngest,  mocking  his  simplicity,  and  finally  they 
forced  him  to  take  a  different  road. 

Abandoned  by  his  malicious  brothers,  the  young  man 
prayed  God  to  grant  him  good  fortune.  At  length  he 
came  to  a  lake,  on  the  further  shore  of  which  was  a 
magnificent  castle.  The  castle  belonged  to  the  daughter 
of  a  tyrannous  and  cruel  prince  who  had  died  long  ago. 
The  young  princess  was  uncommonly  beautiful,  and 
many  a  suitor  had  come  there  to  ask  for  her  hand.  The 
suitors  were  always  made  very  welcome,  but  when  they 
went  to  their  rooms  at  night  the  late  master  of  the  castle 
would  invariably  come  as  a  vampire  and  suffocate  them. 
As  the  youngest  brother  stood  upon  the  shore  wondering 
300 


The  First  Quest 

how  to  cross  the  lake,  the  princess  noticed  him  from  her 
window  and  at  once  gave  an  order  to  the  servants  to  take 
a  boat  and  bring  the  young  man  before  her.  When  he 
appeared  he  was  a  little  confused,  but  the  noble  maiden 
reassured  him  with  some  kind  words — for  he  had,  indeed, 
made  a  good  impression  upon  her  and  she  liked  him 
at  first  sight.  She  asked  him  whence  he  came  and  where 
he  intended  to  go,  and  the  young  man  told  her  all  about 
his  father's  command. 

When  the  princess  heard  that,  she  said  to  the  young  man : 
"You  will  remain  here  for  the  night,  and  to-morrow 
morning  we  will  see  what  we  can  do  about  your  rug." 
After  they  had  supped,  the  princess  conducted  her  gue.st 
to  a  green  room,  and  bidding  him  "  good-night,"  said : 
"This  is  your  room.  Do  not  be  alarmed  if  during  the 
night  anything  unusual  should  appear  to  disturb  you." 
Being  a  simple  youth,  he  could  not  even  close  his  eyes,  so 
deep  was  the  impression  made  by  the  beautiful  things 
which  surrounded  him,  when  suddenly,  toward  midnight, 
there  was  a  great  noise.  In  the  midst  of  the  commotion 
he  heard  distinctly  a  mysterious  voice  whisper:  "This 
youth  will  inherit  the  princely  crown,  no  one  can  do  him 
harm  !  "  The  young  man  took  refuge  in  earnest  prayer, 
and,  when  day  dawned,  he  arose  safe  and  sound. 
When  the  princess  awoke,  she  sent  a  servant  to  summon 
the  young  man  to  her  presence,  and  he  was  greatly 
astonished  to  find  the  young  man  alive  ;  so  also  was  the 
princess  and  every  one  in  the  castle. 

After  breakfast  the  princess  gave  her  guest  a  rich  rug, 
saying:  "Take  this  rug  to  your  father,  and  if  he  desires 
aught  else  you  have  only  to  come  back."  The  young  man 
thanked  his  fair  hostess  and  with  a  deep  bow  took  his 
leave  of  her. 

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Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

When  he  arrived  home  he  found  his  two  brothers  already 
there ;  they  were  showing  their  father  the  rugs  they  had 
brought.  When  the  youngest  exhibited  his  they  were 
astounded,  and  exclaimed :  "  How  did  you  get  hold  of 
such  a  costly  rug  ?  You  must  have  stolen  it ! " 

The  Second  Quest 

At  length  the  father,  in  order  to  quieten  them,  said :  "  Go 
once  more  into  the  world,  and  he  who  brings  back  a  chain 
long  enough  to  encircle  our  house  nine  times  shall  have 
my  permission  to  marry  first !  "  Thus  the  father  succeeded 
in  pacifying  his  sons.  The  two  elder  brothers  went  their 
way,  and  the  youngest  hurried  back  to  the  princess. 
When  he  appeared  she  asked  him :  "  What  has  your 
father  ordered  you  to  do  now?"  And  he  answered: 
"That  each  of  us  should  bring  a  chain  long  enough  to 
encircle  our  house  nine  times."  The  princess  again  made 
him  welcome  and,  after  supper,  she  showed  him  into  a 
yellow  room,  saying :  "  Somebody  will  come  again  to 
frighten  you  during  the  night,  but  you  must  not  pay  any 
attention  to  him,  and  to-morrow  we  will  see  what  we  can 
do  about  your  chain." 

And  sure  enough,  about  midnight  there  came  many  ghosts 
dancing  round  his  bed  and  making  fearful  noises,  but  he 
followed  the  advice  of  the  princess  and  remained  calm  and 
quiet.  Next  morning  a  servant  came  once  more  to  conduct 
him  to  the  princess,  and,  after  breakfast,  she  gave  him  a 
fine  box,  saying:  "Take  this  to  your  father,  and  if  he 
should  desire  anything  more,  you  have  but  to  come  to 
me."  The  young  man  thanked  her,  and  took  his  leave. 
Again  he  found  that  his  brothers  had  reached  home  first 
with  their  chains,  but  these  were  not  long  enough  to 
encircle  the  house  even  once,  and  they  were  greatly 
302 


The. young  man  strove  earnestly  in  prayer  302 


The  Third  Quest 

astonished  when  their  youngest  brother  produced  from  the 
box  the  princess  had  given  an  enormous  gold  chain  of  the 
required  length.  Filled  with  envy,  they  exclaimed :  "  You 
will  ruin  the  reputation  of  our  house,  for  you  must  have 
stolen  this  chain ! " 

The  Third  Quest 

At  length  the  father,  tired  of  their  jangling,  sent  them 
away,  saying :  "  Go ;  bring  each  of  you  his  sweetheart, 
and  I  will  give  you  permission  to  marry."  Thereupon 
the  two  elder  brothers  went  joyfully  to  fetch  the  girls  they 
loved,  and  the  youngest  hurried  away  to  the  princess  to 
tell  her  what  was  now  his  father's  desire.  When  she 
heard,  the  princess  said  :  "  You  must  pass  a  third  night 
here,  and  then  we  shall  see  what  we  can  do." 
So,  after  supping  together,  she  took  him  into  a  red  room. 
During  the  night  he  heard  again  a  blood-curdling  noise, 
and  from  the  darkness  a  mysterious  voice  said  :  "  This 
young  man  is  about  to  take  possession  of  my  estates  and 
crown ! "  He  was  assaulted  by  ghosts  and  vampires, 
and  was  dragged  from  his  bed ;  but  through  all  the  young 
man  strove  earnestly  in  prayer,  and  God  saved  him. 
Next  morning  when  he  appeared  before  the  princess,  she 
congratulated  him  on  his  bravery,  and  declared  that  he 
had  won  her  love.  The  young  man  was  overwhelmed 
with  happiness,  for  although  he  would  never  have  dared 
to  reveal  the  secret  of  his  heart,  he  also  loved  the  princess. 
A  barber  was  now  summoned  to  attend  upon  the  young 
man,  and  a  tailor  to  dress  him  like  a  prince.  This  done, 
the  couple  went  together  to  the  castle  chapel  and  were 
wedded. 

A  few  days  later  they  drove  to  the  young  man's  village, 
and  as  they  stopped  outside  his  home  they  heard  great 

303 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

rejoicing  and  music,  whereat  they  understood  that  his  two 
elder  brothers  were  celebrating  their  marriage  feasts.  The 
youngest  brother  knocked  on  the  gate,  and  when  his 
father  came  he  did  not  recognize  his  son  in  the  richly 
attired  prince  who  stood  before  him.  He  was  surprised 
that  such  distinguished  guests  should  pay  him  a  visit, 
and  still  more  so  when  the  prince  said  :  "  Good  man,  will 
you  give  us  your  hospitality  for  to-night?"  The  father 
answered :  "  Most  gladly,  but  we  are  having  festivities  in 
our  house,  and  I  fear  that  these  common  people  will  disturb 
you  with  their  singing  and  music."  To  this  the  young 
prince  said :  "  Oh,  no ;  it  would  please  me  to  see  the 
peasants  feasting,  and  my  wife  would  like  it  even  more 
than  I." 

They  now  entered  the  house,  and  as  the  hostess  curtsied 
deeply  before  them  the  prince  congratulated  her,  saying : 
"  How  happy  you  must  be  to  see  your  two  sons  wedded  on 
the  same  day!  "  The  woman  sighed.  "Ah,"  said  she, 
"  on  one  hand  I  have  joy  and  on  the  other  mourning :  I 
had  a  third  son,  who  went  out  in  the  world,  and  who 
knows  what  ill  fate  may  have  befallen  him  ?  " 
After  a  time  the  young  prince  found  an  opportunity  to  step 
into  his  old  room,  and  put  on  one  of  his  old  suits  over  his 
costly  attire.  He  then  returned  to  the  room  where  the 
feast  was  spread  and  stood  behind  the  door.  Soon  his  two 
brothers  saw  him,  and  they  called  out :  "  Come  here, 
father,  and  see  your  much-praised  son,  who  went  and  stole 
like  a  thief  !  "  The  father  turned,  and  seeing  the  young 
man,  he  exclaimed  :  "  Where  have  you  been  for  so  long, 
and  where  is  your  sweetheart  ?  " 

Then  the  youngest  son  said:  "  Do  not  reproach  me;  all 
is  well  with  me  and  with  you !  "  As  he  spake  he  took  off 
his  old  garments  and  stood  revealed  in  his  princely  dress. 
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Animals  as  Friends  &  as  Enemies 

Then  he  told  his  story  and  introduced  his  wife  to  his 
parents. 

The  brothers  now  expressed  contrition  for  their  conduct,  and 
received  the  prince's  pardon,  after  which  they  all  embraced ; 
the  feasting  was  renewed,  and  the  festivities  went  on  for 
several  days.  Finally  the  young  prince  distributed 
amongst  his  father  and  brothers  large  portions  of  his  new 
lands,  and  they  all  lived  long  and  happily  together. 

XV.  ANIMALS  AS  FRIENDS  AND  AS 
ENEMIES * 

Once  upon  a  time,  a  long  while  ago,  there  lived  in  a  very 
far-off  country,  a  young  nobleman  who  was  so  exceedingly 
poor  that  all  his  property  was  an  old  castle,  a  handsome 
horse,  a  trusty  hound,  and  a  good  rifle. 
This  nobleman  spent  all  his  time  in  hunting  and  shooting, 
and  lived  entirely  on  the  produce  of  the  chase. 
One  day  he  mounted  his  well-kept  horse  and  rode  off  to  the 
neighbouring  forest,  accompanied,  as  usual,  by  his  faithful 
hound.  When  he  came  to  the  forest  he  dismounted,  fas- 
tened his  horse  securely  to  a  young  tree,  and  then  went  deep 
into  the  thicket  in  search  of  game.  The  hound  ran  on  at  a 
distance  before  his  master,  and  the  horse  remained  all  alone, 
grazing  quietly.  Now  it  happened  that  a  hungry  fox  came 
by  that  way  and,  seeing  how  well-fed  and  well-trimmed  the 
horse  was,  stopped  a  while  to  admire  him.  By  and  by  she 
was  so  charmed  with  the  handsome  horse,  that  she  lay  down 
in  the  grass  near  him  to  bear  him  company. 
Some  time  afterward  the  young  nobleman  came  back  out 
of  the  forest,  carrying  a  stag  that  he  had  killed,  and  was 

1  This  and  the  remaining  stories  in  this  chapter  are  reprinted  from 
Serbian  Folk-Lore^  by  Madame  C.  Mijatovitch,  by  kind  permission  of 
M.  Chedo  Miyatovich. 

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Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

extremely  surprised  to  see  the  fox  lying  so  near  his  horse. 
So  he  raised  his  rifle  with  the  intention  of  shooting  her ; 
but  the  fox  ran  up  to  him  quickly  and  said,  "  Do  not  kill 
me !  Take  me  with  you,  and  I  will  serve  you  faithfully.  I  will 
take  care  of  your  fine  horse  whilst  you  are  in  the  forest." 
The  fox  spoke  so  pitifully  that  the  nobleman  was  sorry  for 
her,  and  agreed  to  her  proposal.  Thereupon  he  mounted 
his  horse,  placed  the  stag  he  had  shot  before  him,  and 
rode  back  to  his  old  castle,  followed  closely  by  his  hound 
and  his  new  servant,  the  fox. 

When  the  young  nobleman  prepared  his  supper,  he  did  not 
forget  to  give  the  fox  a  due  share,  and  she  congratulated 
herself  that  she  was  never  likely  to  be  hungry  again,  at 
least  so  long  as  she  served  so  skilful  a  hunter. 
The  next  morning  the  nobleman  went  out  again  to  the 
chase ;  the  fox  also  accompanied  him.  When  the  young 
man  dismounted  and  bound  his  horse,  as  usual,  to  a  tree, 
the  fox  lay  down  near  it  to  keep  it  company. 
Now,  whilst  the  hunter  was  far  off  in  the  depth  of  the 
forest  looking  for  game,  a  hungry  bear  came  by  the  place 
where  the  horse  was  tied,  and.  seeing  how  invitingly  fat  it 
looked,  ran  up  to  kill  it.  The  fox  hereupon  sprang  up 
and  begged  the  bear  not  to  hurt  the  horse,  telling  him  if 
he  was  hungry  he  had  only  to  wait  patiently  until  her 
master  came  back  from  the  forest,  and  then  she  was  quite 
sure  that  the  good  nobleman  would  take  him  also  to  his 
castle  and  feed  him,  and  care  for  him,  as  he  did  for 
his  horse,  his  hound,  and  herself. 

The  bear  pondered  over  the  matter  very  wisely  and  deeply 
for  some  time,  and  at  length  resolved  to  follow  the  fox's 
advice.  Accordingly  he  lay  down  quietly  near  the  horse, 
and  waited  for  the  return  of  the  huntsman.  When  the 
young  noble  came  out  of  the  forest  he  was  greatly  sur- 


Animals  as  Friends  &  as  Enemies 

prised  to  see  so  large  a  bear  near  his  horse,  and,  dropping 
the  stag  he  had  shot  from  his  shoulders,  he  raised  his 
trusty  rifle  and  was  about  to  shoot  the  beast.  The  fox, 
however,  ran  up  to  the  huntsman  and  entreated  him  to 
spare  the  bear's  life,  and  to  take  him,  also,  into  his 
service.  This  the  nobleman  agreed  to  do ;  and,  mounting 
his  horse,  rode  back  to  his  castle,  followed  by  the  hound, 
the  fox,  and  the  bear. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  young  man  had  gone  again 
with  his  dog  into  the  forest,  and  the  fox  and  the  bear  lay 
quietly  near  the  horse,  a  hungry  wolf,  seeing  the  horse, 
sprang  out  of  a  thicket  to  kill  it.  The  fox  and  the  bear, 
however,  jumped  up  quickly  and  begged  him  not  to  hurt 
the  animal,  telling  him  to  what  a  good  master  it  belonged, 
and  that  they  were  sure,  if  he  would  only  wait,  he  also  would 
be  taken  into  the  same  service,  and  would  be  well  cared  for. 
Thereupon  the  wolf,  hungry  though  he  was,  thought  it  best 
to  accept  their  counsel,  and  he  also  lay  down  with  them 
in  the  grass  until  their  master  come  out  of  the  forest. 
You  can  imagine  how  surprised  the  young  nobleman  was 
when  he  saw  a  great  gaunt  wolf  lying  so  near  his  horse  ! 
However,  when  the  fox  had  explained  the  matter  to  him, 
he  consented  to  take  the  wolf  also  into  his  service. 
Thus  it  happened  that  this  day  he  rode  home  followed  by 
the  dog,  the  fox,  the  bear,  and  the  wolf.  As  they  were  all 
hungry,  the  stag  he  had  killed  was  not  too  large  to  furnish 
their  suppers  that  night,  and  their  breakfasts  next  morning. 
Not  many  days  afterward  a  mouse  was  added  to  the 
company,  and  after  that  a  mole  begged  so  hard  for 
admission  that  the  good  nobleman  could  not  find  in  his 
heart  to  refuse  her.  Last  of  all  came  the  great  bird,  the 
kumrekusha — so  strong  a  bird  that  she  can  carry  in  her 
claws  a  horse  with  his  rider!  Soon  after  a  hare  was 

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Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

added  to  the  company,  and  the  nobleman  took  great  care 
of  all  his  animals  and  fed  them  regularly  and  well,  so  that 
they  were  all  exceedingly  fond  of  him. 

The  Animals'  Council 

One  day  the  fox  said  to  the  bear,  "  My  good  Bruin,  pray 

run  into  the  forest  and  bring  me  a  nice  large  log,  on 

which  I  can  sit  whilst    I   preside   at   a   very   important 

council  we  are  going  to  hold." 

Bruin,  who  had  a  great  respect  for  the  quick  wit  and  good 

management  of  the  fox,  went  out  at  once  to  seek  the  log, 

and  soon  came  back  bringing  a  heavy  one,  with  which  the 

fox  expressed  herself  quite  satisfied.   Then  she  called  all  the 

animals  about  her,  and,  having  mounted  the  log,  addressed 

them  in  these  words : 

"You  know  all  of  you,  my  friends,  how  very  kind  and 

good  a  master  we  have.     But,  though  he  is  very  kind,  he 

is  also  very  lonely.     I  propose,  therefore,  that  we  find  a 

fitting  wife  for  him." 

The  assembly  was  evidently  well  pleased  with  this  idea, 

and  responded  unanimously,  "Very  good,  indeed,  if  we 

only  knew  any  girl  worthy  to  be  the  wife  of  our  master ; 

which,  however,  we  do  not." 

Then  the  fox  said,  "/  know  that  the  king  has  a  most 

beautiful  daughter,  and  I  think  it  will  be  a  good  thing  to 

take  her  for  our  lord  ;    and  therefore  I  propose,  further, 

that  our  friend  the  kumrekusha  should  fly  at  once  to  the 

king's  palace,  and  hover  about  there  until  the   princess 

comes  out  to  take  her  walk.     Then  she  must  catch  her  up 

at  once,  and  bring  her  here." 

As   the   kumrekusha  was  glad   to  do  anything  for  her 

kind  master,  she  flew  away  at  once,  without  even  waiting 

to  hear  the  decision  of  the  assembly  on  this  proposal. 

308 


The  Magic  Carpet 

Just  before  evening  set  in,  the  princess  came  out  to  walk 
before  her  father's  palace:  whereupon  the  great  bird 
seized  her  and  placed  her  gently  on  her  outspread  wings, 
and  thus  carried  her  off  swiftly  to  the  young  nobleman's 
castle. 

The  king  was  exceedingly  grieved  when  he  heard  that  his 
daughter  had  been  carried  off,  and  sent  out  everywhere 
proclamations  promising  rich  rewards  to  any  one  who 
should  bring  her  back,  or  even  tell  him  where  he  might 
look  for  her.  For  a  long  time,  however,  all  his  promises 
were  of  no  avail,  for  no  one  in  the  kingdom  knew 
anything  at  all  about  the  princess. 

At  last,  however,  when  the  king  was  well-nigh  in  despair, 
an  old  gipsy  woman  came  to  the  palace  and  asked  the 
king,  "  What  will  you  give  me  if  I  bring  back  to  you  your 
daughter,  the  princess  ?  " 

The  king  answered  quickly,  "  I  will  gladly  give  you 
whatever  you  like  to  ask,  if  only  you  bring  me  back  my 
daughter ! " 

Then  the  old  gipsy  went  back  to  her  hut  in  the  forest,  and 
tried  all  her  magical  spells  to  find  out  where  the  princess 
was.  At  last  she  found  out  that  she  was  living  in  an  old 
castle,  in  a  very  distant  country,  with  a  young  nobleman 
who  had  married  her. 

The  Magic  Carpet 

The  gipsy  was  greatly  pleased  when  she  knew  this,  and 
taking  a  whip  in  her  hand  seated  herself  at  once  in  the 
middle  of  a  small  carpet,  and  lashed  it  with  her  whip. 
Then  the  carpet  rose  up  from  the  ground  and  bore  her 
swiftly  through  the  air,  toward  the  far  country  where  the 
young  nobleman  lived,  in  his  lonely  old  castle,  with  his 
beautiful  wife,  and  all  his  faithful  company  of  beasts. 

309 


Tales  @f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

When  the  gipsy  came  near  the  castle  she  made  the  carpet 
descend  on  the  grass  among  some  tress,  and  leaving 
it  there  went  to  look  about  until  she  could  meet  the 
princess  walking  about  the  grounds.  By  and  by  the 
beautiful  young  lady  came  out  of  the  castle,  and 
immediately  the  ugly  old  woman  went  up  to  her,  and 
began  to  fawn  on  her  and  to  tell  her  all  kinds  of  strange 
stories.  Indeed,  she  was  such  a  good  story-teller  that  the 
princess  grew  quite  tired  of  walking  before  she  was  tired 
of  listening ;  so,  seeing  the  soft  carpet  lying  nicely  on  the 
green  grass,  she  sat  down  on  it  to  rest  awhile.  The 
moment  she  was  seated  the  cunning  old  gipsy  sat  down 
by  her,  and,  seizing  her  whip,  lashed  the  carpet  furiously. 
In  the  next  minute  the  princess  found  herself  borne  upon 
the  carpet  far  away  from  her  husband's  castle,  and  before 
long  the  gipsy  made  it  descend  into  the  garden  of  the 
king's  palace. 

You  can  easily  guess  how  glad  he  was  to  see  his  lost 
daughter,  and  how  he  generously  gave  the  gipsy  even 
more  than  she  asked  as  a  reward.  Then  the  king  made 
the  princess  live  from  that  time  in  a  very  secluded  tower 
with  only  two  waiting-women,  so  afraid  was  he  lest  she 
would  again  be  stolen  from  him. 

Meanwhile  the  fox,  seeing  how  miserable  and  melancholy 
her  young  master  appeared  after  his  wife  had  so  strangely 
been  taken  from  him,  and  having  heard  of  the  great 
precautions  which  the  king  was  using  in  order  to  prevent 
the  princess  being  carried  off  again,  summoned  once  more 
all  the  animals  to  a  general  council. 

When  all  of  them  were  gathered  about  her,  the  fox  thus 
began :  "  You  know  all  of  you,  my  dear  friends,  how 
happily  our  kind  master  was  married ;  but  you  know,  also, 
that  his  wife  has  been  unhappily  stolen  from  him,  and  that 
310 


The  Magic  Carpet 

he  is  now  far  worse  off  than  he  was  before  we  found  the 
princess  for  him.  Then  he  was  lonely;  now  he  is  more 
than  lonely — he  is  desolate!  This  being  the  case,  it  is 
clearly  our  duty,  as  his  faithful  servants,  to  try  in  some 
way  to  bring  her  back  to  him.  This,  however,  is  not 
a  very  easy  matter,  seeing  that  the  king  has  placed  his 
daughter  for  safety  in  a  strong  tower.  Nevertheless,  I  do 
not  despair,  and  my  plan  is  this  :  I  will  turn  myself  into 
a  beautiful  cat,  and  play  about  in  the  palace  gardens  under 
the  windows  of  the  tower  in  which  the  princess  lives.  I 
dare  say  she  will  long  for  me  greatly  the  moment  she  sees 
me,  and  will  send  her  waiting-women  down  to  catch  me 
and  take  me  up  to  her.  But  I  will  take  good  care  that 
the  maids  do  not  catch  me,  so  that,  at  last,  the  princess 
will  forget  her  father's  orders  not  to  leave  the  tower,  and 
will  come  down  herself  into  the  gardens  to  see  if  she  may 
not  be  more  successful.  I  will  then  make  believe  to  let 
her  catch  me,  and  at  this  moment  our  friend,  the  kumre- 
kusha,  who  must  be  hovering  over  about  the  palace,  must 
fly  down  quickly,  seize  the  princess,  and  carry  her  off  as 
before.  In  this  way,  my  dear  friends,  I  hope  we  shall  be 
able  to  bring  back  to  our  kind  master  his  beautiful  wife. 
Do  you  approve  of  my  plan  ?  " 

Of  course,  the  assembly  were  only  too  glad  to  have  such  a 
wise  counsellor,  and  to  be  able  to  prove  their  gratitude  to 
their  considerate  master.  So  the  fox  ran  up  to  the  kumre- 
kusha,  who  flew  away  with  her  under  her  wing,  both  being 
equally  eager  to  carry  out  the  project,  and  thus  to 
bring  back  the  old  cheerful  look  to  the  face  of  their  lord. 
When  the  kumrekusha  came  to  the  tower  wherein  the 
princess  dwelt  she  set  the  fox  down  quietly  among  the 
trees,  where  it  at  once  changed  into  a  most  beautiful  cat, 
and  commenced  to  play  all  sorts  of  graceful  antics  under 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

the  window  at  which  the  princess  sat.  The  cat  was 
striped  all  over  the  body  with  many  different  colours,  and 
before  long  the  king's  daughter  noticed  her,  and  sent  down 
her  two  women  to  catch  her  and  bring  her  up  in  the 
tower. 

The  two  waiting-women  came  down  into  the  garden,  and 
called,  "  Pussy !  pussy  !  "  in  their  sweetest  voices ;  they 
offered  her  bread  and  milk,  but  they  offered  it  all  in  vain. 
The  cat  sprang  merrily  about  the  garden,  and  ran  round 
and  round  them,  but  would  on  no  account  consent  to  be 
caught. 

At  length  the  princess,  who  stood  watching  them  at  one  of 
the  windows  of  her  tower,  became  impatient,  and  de- 
scended herself  into  the  garden,  saying  petulantly,  "  You 
only  frighten  the  cat ;  let  me  try  to  catch  her !  "  As  she 
approached  the  cat,  who  seemed  now  willing  to  be  caught, 
the  kumrekusha  darted  down  quickly,  seized  the  princess 
by  the  waist,  and  carried  her  high  up  into  the  air. 
The  frightened  waiting-women  ran  to  report  to  the  king 
what  had  happened  to  the  princess;  whereupon  the  king 
immediately  let  loose  all  his  greyhounds  to  seize  the  cat 
which  had  been  the  cause  of  his  daughter's  being  carried 
off  a  second  time.  The  dogs  followed  the  cat  closely,  and 
were  on  the  point  of  catching  her,  when  she,  just  in  the 
nick  of  time,  saw  a  cave  with  a  very  narrow  entrance  and 
ran  into  it  for  shelter.  There  the  dogs  tried  to  follow 
her,  or  to  widen  the  mouth  of  the  cave  with  their  claws, 
but  all  in  vain;  so,  after  barking  a  long  time  very 
furiously,  they  at  length  grew  weary,  and  stole  back 
ashamed  and  afraid  to  the  king's  stables. 
When  all  the  greyhounds  were  out  of  sight  the  cat  changed 
herself  back  into  a  fox,  and  ran  off  in  a  straight  line 
toward  the  castle,  where  she  found  her  young  master 
312 


The  King  makes  War  on  the  Animals 

very  joyful,  for  the  kumrekusha  had  already  brought  back 
to  him  his  beautiful  wife. 

The  King  makes  War  on  the  Animals 

Now  the  king  was  exceedingly  angry  to  think  that  he  had 

again  lost  his  daughter,  and  he  was  all  the  more  angry  to 

think  that  such  poor  creatures  as  a  bird  and  a  cat  had 

succeeded  in  carrying  her  off  after  all  his  precautions. 

So,  in  his  great  wrath,  he  resolved  to  make  a  general  war 

on  the  animals,  and  entirely  exterminate  them. 

To  this  end  he  gathered  together  a  very  large  army,  and 

determined  to  be  himself  their  leader.     The  news  of  the 

king's  intention  spread  swiftly  over  the  whole  kingdom, 

whereupon  for  the  third  time  the  fox  called  together  all 

her  friends — the  bear,  the  wolf,  the  kumrekusha,  the  mouse, 

the  mole,  and  the  hare — to  a  general  council. 

When  all  were  assembled  the  fox  addressed  them  thus: 

"  My  friends,  the  king  has  declared  war  against  us,  and 

intends  to  destroy  us  all.     Now  it  is  our  duty  to  defend 

ourselves  in  the  best  way  we  can.     Let  us  each  see  what 

number  of  animals  we  are  able  to  muster.     How  many  of 

your  brother  bears  do  you  think  you  can  bring  to  our  help, 

my  good  Bruin  ?  " 

The  bear  got  up  as  quickly  as  he  could  on  his  hind  legs 

and  called  out,  "  I  am  sure  I  can  bring  a  hundred." 

"  And  how  many  of  your  friends  can  you  bring,  my  good 

wolf?"  asked  the  fox  anxiously. 

u  I  can  bring  at  least  five  hundred  wolves  with  me,"  said 

the  wolf  with  an  air  of  importance. 

The  fox  nodded  her  satisfaction  and  continued,   "  And 

what  can  you  do  for  us,  dear  master  hare  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  think,  I  can  bring  about  eight  hundred,"  said  the 

hare  cautiously. 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

"  And  what  can  you  do,  you  dear  little  mouse?  " 
"  Oh,  /  can  certainly  bring  three  thousand  mice." 
"Very  well,  indeed! — and  you  Mr.  Mole  ?" 
"  I  am  sure  I  can  gather  eight  thousand." 
"  And  now  what  number  do   you   think   you  can  bring 
us,  my  great  friend,  kumrekusha  ?  " 

"  I  fear  not  more  than  two  or  three  hundred,  at  the  very 
best,"  said  the  kumrekusha  sadly. 

"  Very  good  ;  now  all  of  you  go  at  once  and  collect  your 
friends ;  when  you  have  brought  all  you  can,  we  will 
decide  what  is  to  be  done,"  said  the  fox ;  whereupon  the 
council  broke  up,  and  the  animals  dispersed  in  different 
directions  throughout  the  forest. 

Not  very  long  after,  very  unusual  noises  were  heard  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  castle.  There  was  a  great  shaking  of 
trees ;  and  the  growling  of  bears  and  the  short  sharp  barking 
of  wolves  broke  the  usual  quiet  of  the  forest.  The  army  of 
animals  was  gathering  from  all  sides  at  the  appointed  place. 
When  all  were  gathered  together  the  fox  explained  to  them 
her  plans  in  these  words  :  "  When  the  king's  army  stops  on 
its  march  to  rest  the  first  night,  then  you,  bears  and 
wolves,  must  be  prepared  to  attack  and  kill  all  the  horses. 
If,  notwithstanding  this,  the  army  proceeds  farther,  you 
mice  must  be  ready  to  bite  and  destroy  all  the  saddle- 
straps  and  belts  while  the  soldiers  are  resting  the  second 
night,  and  you  hares  must  gnaw  through  the  ropes  with 
which  the  men  draw  the  cannon.  If  the  king  still  persists 
in  his  march,  you  moles  must  go  the  third  night  and 
dig  out  the  earth  under  the  road  they  will  take  the 
next  day,  and  must  make  a  ditch  full  fifteen  yards  in 
breadth  and  twenty  yards  in  depth  all  round  their  camp. 
Next  morning,  when  the  army  begins  to  march  over  this 
ground  which  has  been  hollowed  out,  you  kumrekushas 


The  King  makes  War  on  the  Animals 

must  throw  down  on  them  from  above  heavy  stones  while 
the  earth  will  give  way  under  them." 
The  plan   was   approved,  and  all  the   animals  went  off 
briskly  to  attend  to  their  allotted  duties. 
When  the  king's  army  awoke,  after  their  first  night's  rest 
on  their  march,  they  beheld,  to  their  great  consternation, 
that  all  the  horses  were  killed.     This  sad  news  was  reported 
at  once  to  the  king ;  but  he  only  sent  back  for  more  horses, 
and,  when  they  came  late  in  the  day,  pursued  his  march. 
The  second  night  the  mice  crept  quietly  into  the  camp, 
and  nibbled  diligently  at  the  horses'  saddles  and  at  the 
soldiers'  belts,  while  the  hares  as  busily  gnawed  at  the 
ropes  with  which  the  men  drew  the  cannon. 
Next  morning  the  soldiers  were  terrified,  seeing  the  mis- 
chief the  animals  had  done.     The  king,  however,  reassured 
them,  and  sent  back  to  the  city  for  new  saddles  and  belts. 
When  they  were  at  length  brought  he  resolutely  pursued 
his  march,  only  the  more  determined  to  revenge  himself 
on  these  presumptuous  and  despised  enemies. 
On  the  third  night,  while  the  soldiers  were  sleeping,  the 
moles  worked  incessantly  in  digging  round  the  camp  a 
wide  and  deep  trench  underground.     About  midnight  the 
fox  sent  the  bears  to  help  the  moles,  and  to  carry  away  the 
loads  of  earth. 

Next  morning  the  king's  soldiers  were  delighted  to  find 
that  no  harm  seemed  to  have  been  done  on  the  previous 
night  to  their  horses  or  straps,  and  started  with  new 
courage  on  their  march.  But  their  march  was  quickly 
arrested,  for  soon  the  heavy  horsemen  and  artillery  began 
to  fall  through  the  hollow  ground,  and  the  king,  when  he 
observed  that,  called  out,  "  Let  us  turn  back.  I  see  God 
himself  is  against  us,  since  we  have  declared  war  against 
the  animals.  I  will  give  up  my  daughter." 

315 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Then  the  army  turned  back,  amidst  the  rejoicings  of  the 
soldiers.  The  men  found,  however,  to  their  great  surprise 
and  fear,  that  whichever  way  they  turned,  they  fell  through 
the  earth.  To  make  their  consternation  yet  more  com- 
plete, the  kumrekushas  now  began  to  throw  down  heavy 
stones  on  them,  which  crushed  them  completely.  In  this 
way  the  king,  as  well  as  his  whole  army,  perished. 
Very  soon  afterward  the  young  nobleman,  who  had 
married  the  king's  daughter,  went  to  the  enemy's  capital 
and  took  possession  of  the  king's  palace,  taking  with  him 
all  his  animals ;  and  there  they  all  lived  long  and  happily 
together. 

XVI.  THE  THREE  SUITORS 

In  a  very  remote  country  there  formerly  lived  a  king  who 

had  only  one  child — an  exceedingly  beautiful  daughter. 

The  princess  had  a  great  number  of  suitors,  and  amongst 

them  were  three  young  noblemen,  whom  the  king  loved 

much.     As,   however,  the  king  liked   the   three   nobles 

equally  well,  he  could  not  decide  to  which  of  the  three  he 

should  give  his  daughter  as  wife.      One  day,  therefore, 

he  called  the  three  young  noblemen  to  him,  and  said, 

"  Go,  all  of  you,  and  travel  about  the  world.     The  one  of 

you  who  brings  home  the  most  remarkable  thing  shall 

be  my  son-in-law ! " 

The  three  suitors  started  at  once  on  their  travels,  each 

of  them  taking  opposite  ways,  and  going  in  search  of 

remarkable  things  into  far  different  countries. 

A  long  time   had   not  passed  before  one  of  the  young 

nobles   found   a   wonderful   carpet    which    would    carry 

rapidly  through  the  air  whoever  sat  upon  it. 

Another  of  them  found  a  marvellous  telescope,  through 

which   he   could   see  everybody  and   everything   in  the 

316 


The  Three  Suitors 

world,  and  even  the  many-coloured  sands  at  the  bottom  of 
the  great  deep  sea. 

The  third  found  a  wonder-working  ointment,  which  could 
cure  every  disease  in  the  world,  and  even  bring  dead 
people  back  to  life  again. 

Now  the  three  noble  travellers  were  far  distant  from  each 
other  when  they  found  these  wonderful  things.  But  when  the 
young  man  who  had  found  the  telescope  looked  through  it, 
he  saw  one  of  his  former  friends  and  present  rivals  walking 
with  a  carpet  on  his  shoulder,  and  so  he  set  out  to  join 
him.  As  he  could  always  see,  by  means  of  his  marvellous 
telescope,  where  the  other  nobleman  was,  he  had  no  great 
difficulty  in  finding  him,  and  when  the  two  had  met,  they 
sat  side  by  side  on  the  wonderful  carpet,  and  it  carried 
them  through  the  air  until  they  had  joined  the  third  traveller. 
One  day,  when  each  of  them  had  been  telling  of  the 
remarkable  things  he  had  seen  in  his  travels,  one  of  them 
exclaimed  suddenly,  "  Now  let  us  see  what  the  beautiful 
princess  is  doing,  and  where  she  is."  Then  the  noble  who 
had  found  the  telescope,  looked  through  it  and  saw,  to 
his  great  surprise  and  dismay,  that  the  king's  daughter 
was  lying  very  sick  and  at  the  point  of  death.  He  told 
this  to  his  two  friends  and  rivals,  and  they,  too,  were 
thunderstruck  at  the  bad  news — until  the  one  who  had 
found  the  wonder-working  ointment,  remembering  it 
suddenly,  exclaimed,  "  I  am  sure  I  could  cure  her,  if 
I  could  only  reach  the  palace  soon  enough !  "  On  hearing 
this  the  noble  who  had  found  the  wonderful  carpet  cried 
out,  "  Let  us  sit  down  on  my  carpet,  and  it  will  quickly 
carry  us  to  the  king's  palace  !  " 

Thereupon  the  three  nobles  gently  placed  themselves  in 
the  carpet,  which  rose  instantly  in  the  air,  and  carried 
them  direct  to  the  king's  palace. 

317 


Tales  fif  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  king  received  them  immediately  ;  but  said  very  sadly, 
"  I  am  sorry  for  you :  for  all  your  travels  have  been  in 
vain.  My  daughter  is  just  dying,  so  she  can  marry  none 
of  you!" 

But  the  nobleman  who  possessed  the  wonder-working 
ointment  said  respectfully,  "  Do  not  fear,  sire,  the  princess 
will  not  die!"  And  on  being  permitted  to  enter  the 
apartment  where  she  lay  sick,  he  placed  the  ointment  so 
that  she  could  smell  it.  In  a  few  moments  the  princess 
revived,  and  when  her  waiting-women  had  rubbed  a  little 
of  the  ointment  in  her  skin  she  recovered  so  quickly  that 
in  a  few  days  she  was  better  than  she  had  been  before  she 
was  taken  ill. 

The  king  was  so  glad  to  have  his  daughter  given  back  to 
him,  as  he  thought,  from  the  grave,  that  he  declared  that 
she  should  marry  no  one  but  the  young  nobleman  whose 
wonderful  ointment  had  cured  her. 

The  Dispute 

But  now  a  great  dispute  arose  between  the  three  young 
nobles :  the  one  who  possessed  the  ointment  affirmed  that 
had  he  not  found  it  the  princess  would  have  died,  and 
could  not,  therefore,  have  married  any  one;  the  noble 
who  owned  the  telescope  declared  that  had  he  not  found 
the  wonderful  telescope  they  would  never  have  known 
that  the  princess  was  dying,  and  so  his  friend  would  not 
have  brought  the  ointment  to  cure  her ;  whilst  the  third 
noble  proved  to  them  that  had  he  not  found  the  wonderful 
carpet  neither  the  finding  of  the  ointment  nor  the  telescope 
would  have  helped  the  princess,  since  they  could  not  have 
travelled  such  a  great  distance  in  time  to  save  her. 
The  king,  overhearing  this  dispute,  called  the  young 
noblemen  to  him,  and  said  to  them,  "My  lords,  from 

318 


The  Dispute 

what  you  have  said,  I  see  that  I  cannot,  with  justice,  give 
my  daughter  to  any  of  you ;  therefore,  I  pray  you  to  give 
up  altogether  the  idea  of  marrying  her,  and  that  you 
continue  friends  as  you  always  were  before  you  became 
rivals." 

The  three  young  nobles  saw  that  the  king  had  decided 
justly ;  so  they  all  left  their  native  country,  and  went  into 
a  far-off  desert  to  live  like  hermits.     And  the  king  gave 
the  princess  to  another  of  his  great  nobles. 
Many,  many  years  had  passed  away  since  the  marriage  of 
the  princess,  when  her  husband  was  sent  by  her  father  to 
a  distant  country  with  which  the  king  was  waging  war. 
The  nobleman  took  his  wife,  the  princess,  with  him,  as  he 
was  uncertain  how  long  he   might  be  forced  to  remain 
abroad.     Now  it  happened  that  a  violent  storm  arose  just 
as  the  vessel  which  carried  the  princess  and  her  husband 
was  approaching  a  strange  coast ;  and  in  the  height  of  the 
great  tempest  the  ship  dashed  on  some  rocks,  and  went  to 
pieces  instantly.     All  the  people  on  board  perished  in  the 
waves,  excepting  only  the  princess,  who  clung  very  fast  to 
a  boat  and  was  carried  by  the  wind  and  the  tide  to  the 
shore.     There  she   found   what   seemed  to  be  an   unin- 
habited country,  and,  discovering  a  small  cave  in  a  rock, 
she  lived  alone  in  it  for  three  years,  feeding  on  wild  herbs 
and  fruits.     She  searched  every  day  to  find  some  way  out 
of  the  forest  which  surrounded  her  cave,  but  could  find 
none.     One  day,  however,  when  she  had  wandered  farther 
than  usual  from  the    cave  where   she   lived,    she  came 
suddenly  on  another  cave  which,  to  her  great  astonish- 
ment,   had    a   small   door.      She  tried    over   and    over 
again   to   open  the   door,    thinking  she  would  pass  the 
night  in  the  cave ;  but  all  her  efforts  were  unavailing,  it 
was   shut   so   fast.      At   length,  however,  a  deep  voice 

319 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

from  within  the  cave  called  out,  "Who  is  at  the 
door?" 

At  this  the  princess  was  so  surprised  that  she  could  not 
answer  for  some  moments;  when,  however,  she  had 
recovered  a  little,  she  said,  "  Open  me  the  door  1 " 
Immediately  the  door  was  opened  from  within,  and  she 
saw,  with  sudden  terror,  an  old  man  with  a  thick  grey 
beard  reaching  below  his  waist  and  long  white  hair 
flowing  over  his  shoulders. 

What  frightened  the  princess  the  more  was  her  finding  a 
man  living  here  in  the  same  desert  where  she  had  lived 
herself  three  years  without  seeing  a  single  soul. 
The  hermit  and  the  princess  looked  at  each  long  and 
earnestly  without  saying  a  word.  At  length,  however, 
the  old  man  said,  "Tell  me,  are  you  an  angel  or  a 
daughter  of  this  world?" 

Then  the  princess  answered,  "  Old  man,  let  me  rest  a 
moment,  and  then  I  will  tell  you  all  about  myself,  and 
what  brought  me  here."  So  the  hermit  brought  out 
some  wild  pears,  and  when  the  princess  had  taken  some 
of  them,  she  began  to  tell  him  who  she  was,  and  how  she 
came  in  that  desert.  She  said,  "  I  am  a  king's  daughter, 
and  once,  many  years  ago,  three  young  nobles  of  my 
father's  court  asked  the  king  for  my  hand  in  marriage. 
Now  the  king  had  such  an  equal  affection  for  all  these 
three  young  men  that  he  was  unwilling  to  give  pain  to  any 
of  them,  so  he  sent  them  to  travel  into  distant  countries, 
and  promised  to  decide  between  them  when  they  returned. 
"  The  three  noblemen  remained  a  long  time  away ;  and 
whilst  they  were  still  abroad  somewhere,  I  fell  danger- 
ously ill.  I  was  just  at  the  point  of  death,  when  they  all 
three  returned  suddenly ;  one  of  them  bringing  a  wonder- 
ful ointment,  which  cured  me  at  once;  the  two  others 
320 


The  Recognition 

brought  each  equally  remarkable  things — a  carpet  that 
would  carry  whoever  sat  on  it  through  the  air,  and  a 
telescope  with  which  one  could  see  everybody  and  every- 
thing in  the  world,  even  to  the  sands  at  the  bottom  of  the 


sea." 


The  Recognition 

The  princess  had  gone  on  thus  far  with  her  story,  when 
the  hermit  suddenly  interrupted  her,  saying :  "  All  that 
happened  afterward  I  know  as  well  as  you  can  tell  me. 
Look  at  me,  my  daughter !  I  am  one  of  those  noblemen 
who  sought  to  win  your  hand,  and  here  is  the  wonderful 
telescope."  And  the  hermit  brought  out  the  instrument 
from  a  recess  in  the  side  of  his  cave  before  he  continued : 
"  My  two  friends  and  rivals  came  with  me  to  this  desert. 
We  parted,  however,  immediately,  and  have  never  met 
since.  I  know  not  whether  they  are  living  or  dead,  but 
I  will  look  for  them." 

Then  the  hermit  looked  through  his  telescope,  and  saw 
that  the  other  two  noblemen  were  living  in  caves  like  his, 
in  different  parts  of  the  same  desert.  Having  found  this 
out,  he  took  the  princess  by  the  hand,  and  led  her  on 
until  they  found  the  other  hermits.  When  all  were 
re-united,  the  princess  related  her  adventures  since  the 
foundering  of  the  ship,  in  which  her  husband  had  gone 
down,  and  from  which  she  alone  had  been  saved. 
The  three  noble  hermits  were  pleased  to  see  her  alive  once 
again,  but  at  once  decided  that  they  ought  to  send  her 
back  to  the  king,  her  father. 

Then  they  made  the  princess  a  present  of  the  wonderful 
telescope,  and  the  wonder-working  ointment,  and  placed 
her  on  the  wonderful  carpet,  which  carried  her  and  her 
treasures  quickly  and  safely  to  her  father's  palace.  As 

x  321 


Tales  &f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

for  the  three  noblemen,  they  remained,  still  living  like 
hermits,  in  the  desert,  only  they  visited  each  other  now 
and  then,  so  that  the  years  seemed  no  longer  so  tedious  to 
them.  For  they  had  many  adventures  to  relate  to  each 
other. 

The  king  was  exceedingly  glad  to  receive  his  only  child 
back  safely,  and  the  princess  lived  with  her  father  many 
years ;  but  neither  the  king  nor  his  daughter  could  entirely 
forget  the  three  noble  friends  who,  for  her  sake,  lived  like 
hermits  in  a  wild  desert  in  a  far-off  land. 

XVII.  THE  DREAM  OF  THE  KINGS  SON 

There   was   once   a   king    who    had    three    sons.      One 

evening,  when  the  young  princes  were  going  to  sleep,  the 

king  ordered  them  to  take  good  note  of  their  dreams  and 

come  and  tell  them  to  him  next  morning.     So,  the  next 

day  the  princes  went  to  their  father  as   soon   as   they 

awoke,  and  the  moment  the  king  saw  them  he  asked  of 

the  eldest,  "  Well,  what  have  you  dreamt  ?  " 

The  prince  answered,  *•  I  dreamt  that  I  should  be  the  heir 

to  your  throne." 

And  the  second  said,  "  And  I  dreamt  that  I  should  be  the 

first  subject  in  the  kingdom." 

Then  the  youngest  said,  "  /  dreamt  that  I  was  going  to 

wash  my  hands,  and  that  the  princes,  my  brothers,  held  the 

basin,  whilst   the   queen,   my  mother,    held    fine    towels 

for   me  to  dry  my  hands  with,  and  your  majesty's  self 

poured  water  over  them  from  a  golden  ewer." 

The  king,  hearing  this  last  dream,  became  very  angry,  and 

exclaimed,  "  What !    I — the  king — pour  water   over  the 

hands  of  my  own   son  !     Go   away  this   instant   out   of 

my  palace,  and  out  of  my  kingdom  1     You  are  no  longer 

my  son." 

322 


The  Dream  of  the  King's  Son 

The  poor  young  prince  tried  hard  to  make  his  peace  with 
his  father,  saying  that  he  was  really  not  to  be  blamed  for 
what  he  had  only  dreamed ;  but  the  king  grew  more  and 
more  furious,  and  at  last  actually  thrust  the  prince  out  of 
the  palace. 

So  the  young  prince  was  obliged  to  wander  up  and  down 
in  different  countries,  until  one  day,  being  in  a  large  forest, 
he  saw  a  cave,  and  entered  it  to  rest.  There,  to  his  great 
surprise  and  joy,  he  found  a  large  kettle  full  of  Indian 
corn,  boiling  over  a  fire :  and,  being  exceedingly  hungry, 
began  to  help  himself  to  the  corn.  In  this  way  he  went 
until  he  was  shocked  to  see  he  had  nearly  eaten  up  all  the 
maize,  and  then,  being  afraid  some  mischief  would  come 
of  it,  he  looked  about  for  a  place  in  which  to  hide  himself. 
At  this  moment,  however,  a  great  noise  was  heard  at  the 
cave-mouth,  and  he  had  only  time  to  hide  himself  in  a 
dark  corner  before  a  blind  old  man  entered,  riding  on 
a  great  goat  and  driving  a  number  of  goats  before  him. 
The  old  man  rode  straight  up  to  the  kettle,  but  as  soon  as 
he  found  that  the  corn  was  nearly  all  gone,  he  began 
to  suspect  some  one  was  there,  and  groped  about  the  cave 
until  he  caught  hold  of  the  prince. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  asked  he  sharply  ;  and  the  prince  an- 
swered, "  I  am  a  poor,  homeless  wanderer  about  the  world, 
and  have  come  now  to  beg  you  to  be  good  enough  to 


receive  me." 


"  Well,"  said  the  old  man,  "  why  not  ?  I  shall  at  least  have 
some  one  to  mind  my  corn  whilst  I  am  out  with  my  goats 
in  the  forest." 

So  they  lived  together  for  some  time ;  the  prince  remain- 
ing in  the  cave  to  boil  the  maize,  whilst  the  old  man 
drove  out  his  goats  every  morning  into  the  forest. 
One  day,  however,  the  old  man  said  to  the  prince,  "  I  think 

323 


Tales  £fef  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

you  shall  take  out  the  goats  to-day,  and  I  will  stay  at 
home  to  mind  the  corn." 

This  the  prince  consented  to  very  gladly,  as  he  was  tired 
of  living  so  long  quietly  in  the  cave.  But  the  old  man 
added,  "  Mind  only  one  thing !  There  are  nine  different 
mountains,  and  you  can  let  the  goats  go  freely  over  eight 
of  them,  but  you  must  on  no  account  go  on  the  ninth.  The 
veele  live  there,  and  they  will  certainly  put  out  your  eyes  as 
they  have  put  out  mine,  if  you  venture  on  their  mountain." 
The  prince  thanked  the  old  man  for  his  warning,  and  then, 
mounting  the  great  goat,  drove  the  rest  of  the  goats  before 
him  out  of  the  cave. 

Following  the  goats,  he  had  passed  over  all  the  mountains 
to  the  eighth,  and  from  this  he  could  see  the  ninth  moun- 
tain, and  could  not  resist  the  temptation  he  felt  to  go  upon 
it.  So  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  will  venture  up,  whatever 
happens ! " 

The  Prince  and  the  Veele 

Hardly  had  he  stepped  on  the  ninth  mountain  before  the 
fairies  surrounded  him,  and  prepared  to  put  out  his  eyes. 
But,  happily,  a  thought  came  into  his  head,  and  he  ex- 
claimed, quickly,  "  Dear  veele,  why  take  this  sin  on  your 
-heads  ?  Better  let  us  make  a  bargain,  that  if  you  spring 
over  a  tree  that  I  will  place  ready  to  jump  over,  you  shall 
put  out  my  eyes,  and  I  will  not  blame  you ! " 
So  the  veele  consented  to  this,  and  the  prince  went  and 
brought  a  large  tree,  which  he  cleft  down  the  middle 
almost  to  the  root ;  this  done,  he  placed  a  wedge  to  keep 
the  two  halves  of  the  trunk  open  a  little. 
When  it  was  fixed  upright,  he  himself  first  jumped  over  it, 
and  then  he  said  to  the  veele,  "  Now  it  is  your  turn.  Let 
us  see  if  you  can  spring  over  the  tree  !  " 

324 


The  Golden  Horse 

One  veele  attempted  to  spring  over,  but  the  same  moment 
the  prince  knocked  the  wedge  out,  and  the  trunk  closing 
at  once  held  the  veele  fast.  Then  all  the  other  fairies 
were  alarmed,  and  begged  him  to  open  the  trunk  and  let 
their  sister  free,  promising,  in  return,  to  give  him  any- 
he  might  ask.  The  prince  said,  "  I  want  nothing  except  to 
keep  my  own  eyes,  and  to  restore  eyesight  to  that  poor  old 
man."  So  the  fairies  gave  him  a  certain  herb,  and  told 
him  to  lay  it  over  the  old  man's  eyes,  and  then  he  would 
recover  his  sight.  The  prince  took  the  herb,  opened  the 
tree  a  little  so  as  to  let  the  fairy  free,  and  then  rode 
back  on  the  goat  to  the  cave,  driving  the  other  goats 
before  him.  When  he  arrived  there  he  placed  at  once  the 
herb  on  the  old  man's  eyes,  and  in  a  moment  his  eyesight 
came  back,  to  his  exceeding  surprise  and  joy. 
Next  morning  the  old  man,  before  he  drove  out  his  goats, 
gave  the  prince  the  keys  of  eight  closets  in  the  cave,  but 
warned  him  on  no  account  to  open  the  ninth  closet, 
although  the  key  hung  directly  over  the  door.  Then  he 
went  out,  telling  the  prince  to  take  good  care  that  the  corn 
was  ready  for  their  suppers. 

Left  alone  in  the  cave,  the  young  man  began  to  wonder 
what  might  be  in  the  ninth  closet,  and  at  last  he  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  take  down  the  key  and  open 
the  door  to  look  in. 

The  Golden  Horse 

What  was  his  surprise  to  see  there  a  golden  horse,  with  a 
golden  greyhound  beside  him,  and  near  them  a  golden  hen 
and  golden  chickens  were  busy  picking  up  golden  millet- 
seeds. 

The  young  prince  gazed  at  them  for  some  time,  admiring 
their  beauty,  and  then  he  spoke  to  the  golden  horse, 

325 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

"  Friend,  I  think  we  had  better  leave  this  place  before  the 
old  man  comes  back  again." 

"  Very  well,"  answered  the  golden  horse,  "  I  am  quite 
willing  to  go  away,  only  you  must  take  heed  to  what  I  am 
going  to  tell.  Go  and  find  linen  cloth  enough  to  spread 
over  the  stones  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  for  if  the  old 
man  hears  the  ring  of  my  hoofs  he  will  be  certain  to  kill 
you.  Then  you  must  take  with  you  a  little  stone,  a  drop 
of  water,  and  a  pair  of  scissors,  and  the  moment  I  tell  you 
to  throw  them  down  you  must  obey  me  quickly,  or  you 
are  lost." 

The  prince  did  everything  that  the  golden  horse  had 
ordered  him,  and  then,  taking  up  the  golden  hen  with  her 
chickens  in  a  bag,  he  placed  it  under  his  arm,  and 
mounted  the  horse  and  rode  quickly  out  of  the  cave, 
leading  with  him,  in  a  leash,  the  golden  greyhound.  But 
the  moment  they  were  in  the  open  air  the  old  man, 
although  he  was  very  far  off,  tending  his  goats  on  a 
distant  mountain,  heard  the  clang  of  the  golden  hoofs,  and 
cried  to  his  great  goat,  "They  have  run  away.  Let  us 
follow  them  at  once." 

In  a  wonderfully  short  time  the  old  man  on  his  great  goat 
came  so  near  the  prince  on  his  golden  horse,  that  the  latter 
shouted,  "  Throw  now  the  little  stone  !  " 
The  moment  the  prince  had  thrown  it  down,  a  high  rocky 
mountain  rose  up  between  him  and  the  old  man,  and 
before  the  goat  had  climbed  over  it,  the  golden  horse  had 
gained  much  ground.  Very  soon,  however,  the  old  man 
was  so  nearly  catching  them  that  the  horse  shouted, 
"Throw,  now,  the  drop  of  water!"  The  prince  obeyed 
instantly,  and  immediately  saw  a  broad  river  flowing 
between  him  and  his  pursuer. 

It  took  the  old  man  on  his  goat  so  long  to  cross  the  river 
326 


The  Golden  Horse 

that  the  prince  on  his  golden  horse  was  far  away  before 
them ;  but  for  all  that  it  was  not  very  long  before  the 
horse  heard  the  goat  so  near  behind  him  that  he  shouted, 
"  Throw  the  scissors."  The  prince  threw  them,  and  the 
goat,  running  over  them,  injured  one  of  his  fore  legs  very 
badly.  When  the  old  man  saw  this,  he  exclaimed,  "  Now 
I  see  I  cannot  catch  you,  so  you  may  keep  what  you  have 
taken.  But  you  will  do  wisely  to  listen  to  my  counsel. 
People  will  be  sure  to  kill  you  for  the  sake  of  your  golden 
horse,  so  you  had  better  buy  at  once  a  donkey,  and  take 
the  hide  to  cover  your  horse.  And  do  the  same  with  your 
golden  greyhound." 

Having  said  this,  the  old  man  turned  and  rode  back  to  his 
cave ;  and  the  prince  lost  no  time  in  attending  to  his 
advice,  and  covered  with  donkey-hide  his  golden  horse 
and  his  golden  hound. 

After  travelling  a  long  time  the  prince  came  unawares  to 
the  kingdom  of  his  father.  There  he  heard  that  the  king 
had  had  a  ditch  dug,  three  hundred  yards  wide  and  four 
hundred  yards  deep,  and  had  proclaimed  that  whosoever 
should  leap  his  horse  over  it,  should  have  the  princess,  his 
daughter,  for  wife. 

Almost  a  whole  year  had  elapsed  since  the  proclamation 
was  issued,  but  as  yet  no  one  had  dared  to  risk  the  leap. 
When  the  prince  heard  this,  he  said,  "  /  will  leap  over  it 
with  my  donkey  and  my  dog  !  "  and  he  leapt  over  it. 
But  the  king  was  very  angry  when  he  heard  that  a  poorly 
dressed  man,  on  a  donkey,  had  dared  to  leap  over  the 
great  ditch  which  had  frightened  back  his  bravest  knights ; 
so  he  had  the  disguised  prince  thrown  into  one  of  his 
deepest  dungeons,  together  with  his  donkey  and  his  dog. 
Next  morning  the  king  sent  some  of  his  servants  to  see  if 
the  man  was  still  living,  and  these  soon  ran  back  to  him, 

327 


Tales  @P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

full  of  wonder,  and  told  him  that  they  had  found  in  the 
dungeon,  instead  of  a  poor  man  and  his  donkey,  a  young 
man,  beautifully  dressed,  a  golden  horse,  a  golden  grey- 
hound, and  a  golden  hen,  surrounded  by  golden  chickens, 
which  were  picking  up  golden  millet-seeds  from  the  ground. 
Then  the  king  said,  "  That  must  be  some  powerful  prince." 
So  he  ordered  the  queen,  and  the  princes,  his  sons,  to 
prepare  all  things  for  the  stranger  to  wash  his  hands. 
Then  he  went  down  himself  into  the  dungeon,  and  led  the 
prince  up  with  much  courtesy,  desiring  to  make  thus 
amends  for  the  past  ill-treatment. 

The  king  himself  took  a  golden  ewer  full  of  water,  and 
poured  some  over  the  prince's  hands,  whilst  the  two 
princes  held  the  basin  under  them,  and  the  queen  held  out 
fine  towels  to  dry  them  on. 

This  done,  the  young  prince  exclaimed,  "  Now,  my  dream 
is  fulfilled";  and  they  all  at  once  recognized  him,  and 
were  very  glad  to  see  him  once  again  amongst  them. 

XVIII.  THE  BITER  BIT 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  an  old  man  who,  whenever  he 

heard  anyone  complain  how  many  sons  he  had  to  care  for, 

always  laughed  and  said,  "  I  wish  that  it  would  please 

God  to  give  me  a  hundred  sons  ! " 

This  he  said  in  jest ;  as  time  went  on,  however,  he  had,  in 

reality,  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  hundred  sons. 

He  had  trouble  enough  to  find  different  trades  for  his 

sons,   but  when  they  were  once  all   started  in  life  they 

worked   diligently  and  gained  plenty  of  money.      Now, 

however,  came  a  fresh  difficulty.     One  day  the  eldest  son 

came  in  to  his  father  and  said,  "  My  dear  father,  I  think 

it  is  quite  time  that  I  should  marry." 

Hardly  had  he  said  these  words  before  the  second  son 

328 


The  Biter  Bit 

came  in,  saying,  "  Dear  father,  I  think  it  is  already  time 
that  you  were  looking  out  for  a  wife  for  me." 
A  moment  later  came  in  the  third  son,  asking,  "  Dear 
father,  don't  you  think  it  is  high  time  that  you  should  find 
me  a  wife  ?  "  In  like  manner  came  the  fourth  and  fifth, 
until  the  whole  hundred  had  made  a  similar  request.  All 
of  them  wished  to  marry,  and  desired  their  father  to  find 
wives  for  them  as  soon  as  he  could. 

The  old  man  was  not  a  little  troubled  at  these  requests ; 
he  said,  however,  to  his  sons,  "  Very  well,  my  sons,  /  have 
nothing  to  say  against  your  marrying ;  there  is,  however, 
I  foresee,  one  great  difficulty  in  the  way.  There  are  one 
hundred  of  you  asking  for  wives,  and  I  hardly  think  we 
can  find  one  hundred  marriageable  girls  in  all  the  fifteen 
villages  which  are  in  our  neigbourhood." 
To  this  the  sons,  however,  answered,  "  Don't  be  anxious 
about  that,  but  mount  your  horse  and  take  in  your  sack 
sufficient  engagement-cakes.  You  must  take,  also,  a 
stick  in  your  hand  so  that  you  can  cut  a  notch  in  it  for 
every  girl  you  see.  It  does  not  signify  whether  she  be 
handsome  or  ugly,  or  lame  or  blind,  just  cut  a  notch  in 
your  stick  for  every  one  you  meet  with." 
The  old  man  said,  "  Very  wisely  spoken,  my  sons  1  I 
will  do  exactly  as  you  tell  me." 

Accordingly  he  mounted  his  horse,  took  a  sack  full  of 
cakes  on  his  shoulder  and  a  long  stick  in  his  hand,  and 
started  off  at  once  to  beat  up  the  neighbourhood  for  girls 
to  marry  his  sons. 

The  old  man  had  travelled  from  village  to  village  during 
a  whole  month,  and  whenever  he  had  seen  a  girl  he  cut  a 
notch  in  his  stick.  But  he  was  getting  pretty  well  tired, 
and  he  began  to  count  how  many  notches  he  had  already 
made.  When  he  had  counted  them  carefully  over  and 

329 


Tales  &P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

over  again,  to  be  certain  that  he  had  counted  all,  he  could 
only  make  out  seventy-four,  so  that  still  twenty-six  were 
wanting  to  complete  the  number  required.  He  was, 
however,  so  weary  with  his  month's  ride  that  he  deter- 
mined to  return  home.  As  he  rode  along,  he  saw  a  priest 
driving  oxen  yoked  to  a  plough,  and  seemingly  very  deep 
in  anxious  thought  about  something.  Now  the  old  man 
wondered  a  little  to  see  the  priest  ploughing  his  own 
corn-fields  without  even  a  boy  to  help  him  ;  he  therefore 
shouted  to  ask  him  why  he  drove  his  oxen  himself.  The 
priest,  however,  did  not  even  turn  his  head  to  see  who 
called  to  him,  so  intent  was  he  in  urging  on  his  oxen  and 
in  guiding  his  plough. 

The  old  man  thought  he  had  not  spoken  loud  enough,  so  he 
shouted  out  again  as  loud  as  he  could,  "  Stop  your  oxen  a 
little,  and  tell  me  why  you  are  ploughing  yourself  without 
even  a  lad  to  help  you,  and  this,  too,  on  a  holy-day  1 " 
Now  the  priest — who  was  in  a  perspiration  with  his  hard 
work — answered  testily,  "  I  conjure  you  by  your  old  age 
leave  me  in  peace!  I  cannot  tell  you  my  ill-luck." 

The  Hundred  Daughters 

At  this  answer,  however,  the  old  man  was  only  the  more 

curious,  and   persisted  all  the  more  earnestly  in  asking 

questions  to  find  out  why  the  priest  ploughed  on  a  saint's 

day.     At  last  the  priest,  tired  with  his  importunity,  sighed 

deeply   and   said,    "  Well,  if  you  will  know :  I    am  the 

only  man  in  my  household,  and  God  has  blessed  me  with 

a  hundred  daughters !  " 

The  old  man  was  overjoyed  at  hearing  this,  and  exclaimed 

cheerfully,  "  That's  very  good !     It  is  just  what  I  want, 

for  /  have  a  hundred  sons,  and  so,  as  you  have  a  hundred 

daughters,  we  can  be  friends  !  " 

330 


The  Hundred  Daughters 

The  moment  the  priest  heard  this  he  became  pleasant  and 
talkative,  and  invited  the  old  man  to  pass  the  night  in  his 
house.  Then,  leaving  his  plough  in  the  field,  he  drove 
the  oxen  back  to  the  village.  Just  before  reaching  his 
house,  however,  he  said  to  the  old  man,  "  Go  yourself  into 
the  house  whilst  I  tie  up  my  oxen." 
No  sooner,  however,  had  the  old  man  entered  the  yard 
than  the  wife  of  the  priest  rushed  at  him  with  a  big  stick, 
crying  out,  "We  have  not  bread  enough  for  our  hundred 
daughters,  and  we  want  neither  beggars  nor  visitors,"  and 
with  these  words  she  drove  him  away. 
Shortly  afterwards  the  priest  came  out  of  the  barn,  and, 
finding  the  old  man  sitting  on  the  road  before  the  gate, 
asked  him  why  he  had  not  gone  into  the  house  as  he  had 
told  him  to  do.  Whereupon  the  old  man  replied,  "  I  went 
in,  but  your  wife  drove  me  away ! " 

Then  the  priest  said,  "  Only  wait  here  a  moment  till  I 
come  back  to  fetch  you."  He  then  went  quickly  into  his 
house  and  scolded  his  wife  right  well,  saying,  "What 
have  you  done  ?  What  a  fine  chance  you  have  spoiled ! 
The  man  who  came  in  was  going  to  be  our  friend,  for  he 
has  a  hundred  sons  who  would  gladly  have  married  our 
hundred  daughters  1  " 

When  the  wife  heard  this  she  changed  her  dress  hastily,  and 
arranged  her  hair  and  head-dress  in  a  different  fashion. 
Then  she  smiled  very  sweetly,  and  welcomed  with  the 
greatest  possible  politeness  the  old  man,  when  her  husband 
led  him  into  the  house.  In  fact,  she  pretended  that  she  knew 
nothing  at  all  of  anyone  having  been  driven  away  from 
their  door.  And  as  the  old  man  wanted  much  to  find 
wives  for  his  sons,  he  also  pretended  that  he  did  not  know 
that  the  smiling  house-mistress  and  the  woman  who  drove 
him  away  with  a  stick  were  one  and  the  selfsame  person. 

331 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

So  the  old  man  passed  the  night  in  the  house,  and  next 
morning  asked  the  priest  formally  to  give  him  his  hundred 
daughters  for  wives  for  his  hundred  sons.  Thereupon  the 
priest  answered  that  he  was  quite  willing,  and  had  already 
spoken  to  his  daughters  about  the  matter,  and  that  they, 
too,  were  all  quite  willing.  Then  the  old  man  took  out 
his  "  engagement-cakes,"  and  put  them  on  the  table 
beside  him,  and  gave  each  of  the  girls  a  piece  of  money 
to  mark.  Then  each  of  the  engaged  girls  sent  a  small 
present  by  him  to  that  one  of  his  sons  to  whom  she  was 
thus  betrothed.  These  gifts  the  old  man  put  in  the  bag 
wherein  he  had  carried  the  "  engagement-cakes."  He 
then  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  off  merrily  homewards. 
There  were  great  rejoicings  in  his  household  when  he  told 
how  successful  he  had  been  in  his  search,  and  that  he 
really  had  found  a  hundred  girls  ready  and  willing  to  be 
married ;  and  these  hundred,  too,  a  priest's  daughters. 
The  sons  insisted  that  they  should  begin  to  make  the 
wedding  preparations  without  delay,  and  commenced  at 
once  to  invite  the  guests  who  were  to  form  part  of  the 
wedding  procession  to  go  to  the  priest's  house  and  bring 
home  the  brides. 

Here,  however,  another  difficulty  occurred.  The  old  father 
must  find  two  hundred  bride-leaders  (two  for  each  bride)  ; 
one  hundred  kooms ;  one  hundred  starisvats ;  one  hundred 
chaious  (running  footmen  who  go  before  the  processions) ; 
and  three  hundred  vojvodes  (standard-bearers) ;  and,  be- 
sides these,  a  respectable  number  of  other  non-official  guests. 
To  find  all  these  persons  the  father  had  to  hunt  throughout 
the  neighbourhood  for  three  years ;  at  last,  however,  they 
were  all  found,  and  a  day  was  appointed  when  they  were 
to  meet  at  his  house,  and  go  thence  in  procession  to  the 
house  of  the  priest. 
332 


The  Wedding  Procession 

The  Wedding  Procession 

On  the  appointed  day  all  the  invited  guests  gathered  at 
the  old  man's  house.  With  great  noise  and  confusion, 
after  a  fair  amount  of  feasting,  the  wedding  procession 
was  formed  iproperly,  and  set  out  for  the  house  of  the 
priest,  where  the  hundred  brides  were  already  prepared  for 
their  departure  for  their  new  home. 

So  great  was  the  confusion,  indeed,  that  the  old  man 
quite  forgot  to  take  with  him  one  of  the  hundred  sons, 
and  never  missed  him  in  the  greeting  and  talking  and 
drinking  he  was  obliged,  as  father  of  the  bridegrooms,  to 
go  through.  Now  the  young  man  had  worked  so  long 
and  so  hard  in  preparing  for  the  wedding-day  that  he 
never  woke  up  till  long  after  the  procession  had  started ; 
and  every  one  had  had,  like  his  father,  too  much  to  do 
and  too  many  things  to  think  of  to  miss  him. 
The  wedding  procession  arrived  in  good  order  at  the 
priest's  house,  where  a  feast  was  already  spread  out  for 
them.  Having  done  honour  to  the  various  good  things, 
and  having  gone  through  all  the  ceremonies  usual  on  such 
occasions,  the  hundred  brides  were  given  over  to  their 
"  leaders,"  and  the  procession  started  on  its  return  to  the 
old  man's  house.  But,  as  they  did  not  set  off  until  pretty 
late  in  the  afternoon,  it  was  decided  that  the  night  should 
be  spent  somewhere  on  the  road.  When  they  came,  there- 
fore, to  a  certain  river  named  "  Luckless,"  as  it  was 
already  dark,  some  of  the  men  proposed  that  the  party 
should  pass  the  night  by  the  side  of  the  water  without 
crossing  over.  However,  some  others  of  the  chief  of  the 
party  so  warmly  advised  the  crossing  the  river  and 
encamping  on  the  other  bank,  that  this  course  was  at 
length,  after  a  very  lively  discussion,  determined  on; 

333 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

accordingly   the  procession   began    to    move    over   the 

bridge. 

Just,  however,  as  the  wedding  party  were  half-way  across 

the  bridge  its  two  sides  began  to  draw  nearer  each  other, 

and  pressed  the  people  so  close  together  that  they  had 

hardly   room   to   breathe — much   less   could   they  move 

forwards  or  backwards. 

The  Black  Giant 

They  were   kept   for   some  time   in  this  position,  some 

shouting  and  scolding,  others   quiet  because   frightened, 

until  at   length  a  black  giant  appeared,  and  shouted  to 

them  in  a  terribly  loud  voice,  "Who  are  you  all  ?     Where 

do  you  come  from?     Where  are  you  going?" 

Some  of  the  bolder  among  them  answered,  "We  are  going 

to  our  old  friend's  house,  taking  home  the  hundred  brides 

for  his  hundred  sons ;  but  unluckily  we  ventured  on  this 

bridge  after  nightfall,    and  it  has  pressed  us  so  tightly 

together  that  we  cannot  move  one  way  or  the  other." 

"  And  where  is  your  old  friend  ?  "  inquired  the  black 

giant. 

Now  all  the  wedding  guests  turned  their  eyes  towards  the 

old  man.     Thereupon  he  turned  towards  the  giant,  who 

instantly  said  to  him,  "  Listen,  old  man !     Will  you  give 

me  what  you  have  forgotten  at  home,  if  I  let  your  friends 

pass  over  the  bridge  ?  " 

The  old  man  considered  some  time  what  it  might  be  that 

he  had  forgotten  at  home,  but,  at  last,  not  being  able  to 

recollect  anything   in  particular   that   he   had   left,  and 

hearing  on  all  sides  the  groans  and  moans  of  his  guests, 

he  replied,  "  Well,  I  will  give  it  you,  if  you  will  only  let 

the  procession  pass  over." 

Then  the  black  giant  said  to  the  party,  "You  all  hear 

334 


The  Black  Giant 

what  he  has  promised,  and  are  all  my  witnesses  to  the 

bargain.     In  three  days  I  shall  come  to  fetch  what  I  have 

bargained  for." 

Having  said  this,  the  black  giant  widened  the  bridge  and 

the  whole  procession  passed  on  to  the  other  bank  in  safety. 

The  people,  however,  no  longer  wished  to  spend  the  night 

on  the  way,  so  they  moved  on  as  fast  as  they  could,  and 

early  in  the  morning  reached  the  old  man's  house. 

As  everybody  talked  of  the  strange  adventure  they  had 

met  with,  the  eldest  son,  who  had  been  left  at  home,  soon 

began  to  understand  how  the  matter  stood,  and  went  to 

his  father  saying,  "  O  my  father  !  you  have  sold  me  to  the 

black  giant ! " 

Then  the  old  man  was  very  sorry,  and  troubled ;  but  his 

friends   comforted   him,    saying,  "  Don't  be   frightened ! 

nothing  will  come  of  it." 

The   marriage  ceremonies    were    celebrated    with    great 

rejoicings.     Just,  however,  as  the  festivities  were  at  their 

height,    on  the  third  day,  the   black   giant  appeared   at 

the  gate  and  shouted,  "  Now,  give  me  at  once  what  you 

have  promised." 

The  old  man,  trembling  all  over,  went  forward  and  asked, 

him,  "  What  do  you  want?  " 

"  Nothing  but  what  you  have  promised  me  !  "  returned  the 

black  giant. 

As  he  could  not  break  his  promise,  the  old  man,  very 

distressed,  was  then  obliged  to  deliver  up  his  eldest  son  to 

the  giant,  who  thereupon  said,  "  Now  I  shall  take  your  son 

with  me,  but  after  three  years  have  passed  you  can  come 

to  the  Luckless  River  and  take  him  away." 

Having  said  this  the  black  giant  disappeared,  taking  with 

him  the  young  man,  whom  he  carried  off  to  his  workshop 

as  an  apprentice  to  the  trade  of  witchcraft. 

335 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

From  that  time  the  poor  old  man  had  not  a  single  moment 
of  happiness.  He  was  always  sad  and  anxious,  and 
counted  every  year,  and  month,  and  week,  and  even  every 
day,  until  the  dawn  of  the  last  day  of  the  three  years. 
Then  he  took  a  staff  in  his  hand  and  hurried  off  to  the 
bank  of  the  river  Luckless.  As  soon  as  he  reached  the 
river,  he  was  met  by  the  black  giant,  who  asked  him, 
"Why  are  you  come?"  The  old  man  answered  that  he 
come  to  take  home  his  son,  according  to  his  agreement. 
Thereupon  the  giant  brought  out  a  tray  on  which  stood 
a  sparrow,  a  turtle-dove,  and  a  quail,  and  said  to  the  old 
man,  "  Now,  if  you  can  tell  which  of  these  is  your  son,  you 
may  take  him  away.J) 

The  poor  old  father  looked  intently  at  the  three  birds, 
one  after  the  other,  and  over  and  over  again,  but  at  last 
he  was  forced  to  own  that  he  could  not  tell  which  of 
them  was  his  son.  So  he  was  obliged  to  go  away  by 
himself,  and  was  far  more  miserable  than  before.  He 
had  hardly,  however,  got  half-way  home  when  he  thought 
he  would  go  back  to  the  river  and  take  one  of  the  birds 
which  remembered  and  looked  at  him  intently. 
When  he  reached  the  river  Luckless  he  was  again  met  by 
the  black  giant,  who  brought  out  the  tray  again,  and 
placed  on  it  this  time  a  partridge,  a  tit-mouse,  and  a 
thrush,  saying,  '  Now,  my  old  man,  find  out  which  is  your 
son ! ' 

The  anxious  father  again  looked  at  one  bird  after  the  other, 
but  he  felt  more  uncertain  than  before,  and  so,  crying 
bitterly,  again  went  away. 

The  Old  Woman 

Just  as  the  old  man  was  going  through  a  forest,  which 

was  between  the  river  Luckless  and  his  house,  an  old 

336 


The  Old  Woman 

woman  met  him,  and  said,  "  Stop  a  moment !  Where  are 
you  hurrying  to?  And  why  are  you  in  such  trouble?" 
Now,  the  old  man  was  so  deeply  musing  over  his  great 
unhappiness  that  he  did  not  at  first  attend  to  the  old  woman ; 
but  she  followed  him,  calling  after  him,  and  repeating  her 
questions  with  more  earnestness.  So  he  stopped  at  last,  and 
told  her  what  a  terrible  misfortune  had  fallen  upon  him. 
When  the  old  woman  had  listened  to  the  whole  story,  she 
said  cheerfully,  "  Don't  be  cast  down  1  Don't  be  afraid ! 
Go  back  again  to  the  river,  and,  when  the  giant  brings  out 
the  three  birds,  look  into  their  eyes  sharply.  When  you 
see  that  one  of  the  birds  has  a  tear  in  one  of  its  eyes, 
seize  that  bird  and  hold  it  fast,  for  it  has  a  human  soul." 
The  old  man  thanked  her  heartily  for  her  advice,  and 
turned  back,  for  the  third  time,  towards  the  Luckless 
River.  Again  the  black  giant  appeared,  and  looked  very 
merry  whilst  he  brought  out  his  tray  and  put  upon  it  a 
sparrow,  a  dove,  and  a  woodpecker,  saying,  "  My  old  man  ! 
find  out  which  is  your  son!"  Then  the  father  looked 
sharply  into  the  eyes  of  the  birds,  and  saw  that  from  the 
right  eye  of  the  dove  a  tear  dropped  slowly  down.  In  a 
moment  he  grasped  the  bird  tightly,  saying,  "  This  is  my 
son  !  "  The  next  moment  he  found  himself  holding  fast 
his  eldest  son  by  the  shoulder,  and  so,  singing  and  shout- 
ing in  his  great  joy,  took  him  quickly  home,  and  gave  him 
over  to  his  eldest  daughter-in-law,  the  wife  of  his  son. 
Now,  for  some  time  they  all  lived  together  very  happily. 
One  day,  however,  the  young  man  said  to  his  father, 
"Whilst  I  was  apprentice  in  the  workshop  of  the  black 
giant,  I  learned  a  great  many  tricks  of  witchcraft.  Now 
I  intend  to  change  myself  into  a  fine  horse,  and  you  shall 
take  me  to  market  and  sell  me  for  a  good  sum  of  money. 
But  be  sure  not  to  give  up  the  halter." 

Y  337 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

The  father  did  as  the  son  had  said.  Next  market  day  he 
went  to  the  city  with  a  fine  horse  which  he  offered  for  sale. 
Many  buyers  came  round  him,  admiring  the  horse,  and 
bidding  some  sums  for  it,  so  that  at  last  the  old  man  was 
able  to  sell  it  for  two  thousand  ducats.  When  he  received 
the  money,  he  took  good  care  not  to  let  go  the  halter, 
and  he  returned  home  far  richer  than  he  ever  dreamt  of 
being. 

A  few  days  later,  the  man  who  had  bought  the  horse  sent 
his  servant  with  it  to  the  river  to  bathe,  and,  whilst  in  the 
water,  the  horse  got  loose  from  the  servant  and  galloped 
off  into  the  neighbouring  forest.  There  he  changed  him- 
self back  into  his  real  shape,  and  returned  to  his  father's 
house. 

After  some  time  had  passed,  the  young  man  said  one  day 
to  his  father,  "  Now  I  will  change  myself  into  an  ox,  and 
you  can  take  me  to  market  to  sell  me ;  but  take  care  not 
to  give  up  the  rope  with  which  you  lead  me." 
So  next  market-day  the  old  man  went  to  the  city  leading 
a  very  fine  ox,  and  soon  found  a  buyer,  who  offered  ten 
times  the  usual  price  paid  for  an  ox.  The  buyer  asked 
also  for  the  rope  to  lead  the  animal  home,  but  the  old 
man  said,  "  What  do  you  want  with  such  an  old  thing  ? 
You  had  better  buy  a  new  one  ! "  and  he  went  off  taking 
with  him  the  rope. 

That  evening,  whilst  the  servants  of  the  buyer  were  driving 
the  ox  to  the  field,  he  ran  away  into  a  wood  near,  and, 
having  taken  there  his  human  shape,  returned  home  to  his 
father's  house. 

On  the  eve  of  the  next  market-day,  the  young  man  said  to 
his  father :  "  Now  I  will  change  myself  into  a  cow  with 
golden  horns,  and  you  can  sell  me  as  before,  only  take 
care  not  to  give  up  the  string." 
338 


The  Giant  buys  the  Cow 

Accordingly  he  changed  himself  next  morning  into  a  cow, 
and  the  old  man  took  it  to  the  market-place,  and  asked  for 
it  three  hundred  crowns. 

But  the  black  giant  had  learnt  that  his  former  apprentice 
was  making  a  great  deal  of  money  by  practising  the  trade 
he  had  taught  him,  and,  being  jealous  at  this,  he  deter- 
mined to  put  an  end  to  the  young  man's  gains. 

The  Giant  buys  the  Cow 

Therefore,  on  the  third  day  he  came  to  the  market  himself 
as  a  buyer,  and  the  moment  he  saw  the  beautiful  cow  with 
golden  horns  he  knew  that  it  could  be  no  other  than  his 
former  apprentice.  So  he  came  up  to  the  old  man,  and, 
having  outbid  all  the  other  would-be  purchasers,  paid  at 
once  the  price  he  had  agreed  on.  Having  done  this,  he 
caught  the  string  in  his  hand,  and  tried  to  wrench  it  from 
the  terrified  old  man,  who  called  out,  "  I  have  not  sold  you 
the  string,  but  the  cow !  "  and  held  the  string  as  fast  as  he 
could  with  both  hands. 

"  Oh,  no !  "  said  the  buyer,  "  I  have  the  law  and  custom 
on  my  side  !  Whoever  buys  a  cow,  buys  also  the  string 
with  which  it  is  led ! "  Some  of  the  amused  and 
astonished  lookers-on  said  that  this  was  quite  true, 
therefore  the  old  man  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  string. 
The  black  giant,  well  satisfied  with  his  purchase,  took  the 
cow  with  him  to  his  castle,  and,  after  having  put  iron 
chains  on  her  legs,  fastened  her  in  a  cellar.  Every 
morning  the  giant  gave  the  cow  some  water  and  hay,  but 
he  never  unchained  her. 

One  evening,  however,  the  cow,  with  incessant  struggles, 
managed  to  get  free  from  the  chains,  and  immediately 
opened  the  cellar-door  with  her  horns  and  ran  away. 
Next  morning  the  black  giant  went  as   usual  into  the 

339 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

cellar,  carrying  the  hay  and  water  for  the  cow  ;  but  seeing 
she  had  got  free  and  run  away,  he  threw  the  hay  down, 
and  started  off  at  once  to  pursue  her. 
When  he  came  within  sight  of  her,  he  turned  himself  into 
a  wolf  and  ran  at  her  with  great  fury  ;  but  his  clever 
apprentice  changed  himself  instantly  from  a  cow  into  a 
bear,  whereupon  the  giant  turned  himself  from  a  wolf 
into  a  lion  ;  the  bear  then  turned  into  a  tiger,  and  the  lion 
changed  into  a  crocodile,  whereupon  the  tiger  turned  into 
a  sparrow.  Upon  this  the  giant  changed  from  the  form 
of  a  crocodile  into  a  hawk,  and  the  apprentice  immediately 
changed  into  a  hare ;  on  seeing  which  the  hawk  became  a 
greyhound.  Then  the  apprentice  changed  from  a  hare 
into  a  falcon,  and  the  greyhound  into  an  eagle  ;  whereupon 
the  apprentice  changed  into  a  fish.  The  giant  then  turned 
from  an  eagle  into  a  mouse,  and  immediately  the  appren- 
tice, as  a  cat,  ran  after  him ;  then  the  giant  turned  himself 
into  a  heap  of  millet,  and  the  apprentice  transformed 
himself  into  a  hen  and  chickens,  which  very  greedily 
picked  up  all  the  millet  except  one  single  seed,  in  which 
the  master  was,  who  changed  himself  into  a  squirrel ; 
instantly,  however,  the  apprentice  became  a  hawk,  and, 
pouncing  on  the  squirrel,  killed  it. 

In  this  way  the  apprentice  beat  his  master,  the  black 
giant,  and  revenged  himself  for  all  the  sufferings  he  had 
endured  whilst  learning  the  trade  of  witchcraft.  Having 
killed  the  squirrel,  the  hawk  took  his  proper  shape  again, 
and  the  young  man  returned  joyfully  to  his  father,  whom 
he  made  immensely  rich. 

XIX.  THE  TRADE  THAT  NO  ONE  KNOWS 
A  long  while  ago  there  lived  a  poor  old  couple,  who  had 
an  only  son.  The  old  man  and  his  wife  worked  very  hard 

340 


The  Trade  that  no  one  Knows 

to  nourish  their  child  well  and  bring  him  up  properly, 
hoping  that  he,  in  return,  would  take  care  of  them  in  their 
old  age. 

When,  however,  the  boy  had  grown  up,  he  said  to  his 
parents,  "  I  am  a  man  now,  and  I  intend  to  marry,  so  I  wish 
you  to  go  at  once  to  the  king  and  ask  him  to  give  me  his 
daughter  for  wife."  The  astonished  parents  rebuked 
him,  saying  :  "  What  can  you  be  thinking  of?  We  have 
only  this  poor  hut  to  shelter  us,  and  hardly  bread  enough 
to  eat,  and  we  dare  not  presume  to  go  into  the  king's 
presence,  much  less  can  we  venture  to  ask  for  his  daughter 
to  be  your  wife." 

The  son,  however,  insisted  that  they  should  do  as  he  said, 
threatening  that  if  they  did  not  comply  with  his  wishes  he 
would  leave  them,  and  go  away  into  the  world.  Seeing 
that  he  was  really  in  earnest  in  what  he  said,  the  unhappy 
parents  promised  him  they  would  go  and  ask  for  the 
king's  daughter.  Then  tlie  old  mother  made  a  wedding 
cake  in  her  son's  presence,  and,  when  it  was  ready,  she 
put  it  in  a  bag,  took  her  staff  in  her  hand,  and  went 
straight  to  the  palace  where  the  king  lived.  There  the 
king's  servants  bade  her  come  in,  and  led  her  into  the  hall 
where  his  Majesty  was  accustomed  to  receive  the  poor 
people  who  came  to  ask  alms  or  to  present  petitions. 
The  poor  old  woman  stood  in  the  hall,  confused  and 
ashamed  at  her  worn-out,  shabby  clothes,  and  looking  as 
if  she  were  made  of  stone,  until  the  king  said  to  her 
kindly  :  "  What  do  you  want  from  me,  old  mother  ?  " 
She  dared  not,  however,  tell  his  Majesty  why  she  had 
come,  so  she  stammered  out  in  her  confusion :  "  Nothing, 
your  Majesty." 

Then  the  king  smiled  a  little  and  said,  "Perhaps  you  come 
to  ask  alms?" 


Tales  @f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

Then  the  old  woman,  much  abashed,  replied  :  "  Yes,  your 
Majesty,  if  you  please !  " 

Thereupon  the  king  called  his  servants  and  ordered  them 
to  give  the  old  woman  ten  crowns,  which  they  did. 
Having  received  this  money,  she  thanked  his  Majesty,  and 
returned  home,  saying  to  herself  :  "  I  dare  say  when  my 
son  sees  all  this  money  he  will  not  think  any  more  of 
going  away  from  us." 

In  this  thought,  however,  she  was  quite  mistaken,  for  no 
sooner  had  she  entered  the  hut  than  the  son  came  to  her 
and  asked  impatiently :  "  Well,  mother,  have  you  done  as 
I  asked  you  ?  " 

At  this  she  exclaimed :  "  Do  give  up,  once  for  all,  this 
silly  fancy,  my  son.  How  could  you  expect  me  to  ask 
the  king  for  his  daughter  to  be  your  wife  ?  That  would 
be  a  bold  thing  for  a  rich  nobleman  to  do,  how  then  can 
we  think  of  such  a  thing  ?  Anyhow,  /  dared  not  say  one 
word  to  the  king  about  it.  But  only  look  what  a  lot  of 
money  I  have  brought  back.  Now  you  can  look  for  a 
wife  suitable  for  you,  and  then  you  will  forget  the  king's 
daughter." 

When  the  young  man  heard  his  mother  speak  thus,  he 
grew  very  angry,  and  said  to  her :  "  What  do  I  want  with 
the  king's  money  ?  I  don't  want  his  money,  but  I  do  want 
his  daughter  !  I  see  you  are  only  playing  with  me,  so  I 
shall  leave  you.  I  will  go  away  somewhere — anywhere — 
wherever  my  eyes  lead  me." 

Then  the  poor  old  parents  prayed  and  begged  him  not  to 
go  away  from  them,  and  leave  them  alone  in  their  old 
age ;  but  they  could  only  quiet  him  by  promising  faith- 
fully that  the  mother  should  go  again  next  day  to  the 
king,  and  this  time  really  ask  him  to  give  his  daughter  to 
her  son  for  a  wife. 

342 


The  Trade  that  no  one  Knows 

In  the  morning,  therefore,  the  old  woman  went  again  to 
the  palace,  and  the  servants  showed  her  into  the  same 
hall  she  had  been  in  before.     The  king,  seeing  her  stand 
there,  inquired :  "What  want  you,  my  old  woman,  now?  " 
She  was,  however,  so  ashamed   that   she   could   hardly 
stammer,  "  Nothing,  please  your  Majesty." 
The  king,  supposing  that  she  came  again  to  beg,  ordered 
his  servants  to  give  this  time  also  ten  crowns. 
With  this  money  the  poor  woman  returned  to  her  hut, 
where  her  son  met  her,  asking :  "  Well,  mother,  this  time 
I  hope  you  have  done  what  I  asked  you  ?  "     But  she  re- 
plied: "Now,  my  dear  son,  do  leave  the  king's  daughter 
in  peace.     How  can  you  really  think  of  such  a  thing? 
Even  if  she  would  marry  you,  where  is  the  house  to  bring 
her  to  ?     So  be  quiet,  and  take  this  money  which  I  have 
brought  you." 

At  these  words  the  son  was  more  angry  than  before,  and 
said  sharply:  "As  I  see  you  will  not  let  me  marry  the 
king's  daughter,  I  will  leave  you  this  moment  and  never 
come  back  again;"  and,  rushing  out  of  the  hut,  he  ran 
away.  His  parents  hurried  after  him,  and  at  length  pre- 
vailed on  him  to  return,  by  swearing  to  him  that  his 
mother  should  go  again  to  the  king  next  morning,  and 
really  and  in  truth  ask  his  Majesty  this  time  for  his 
daughter. 

So  the  young  man  agreed  to  go  back  home  and  wait  until 
the  next  day. 

On  the  morrow  the  old  woman,  with  a  heavy  heart,  went 
to  the  palace,  and  was  shown  as  before  into  the  king's 
presence.  Seeing  her  there  for  the  third  time,  his  Majesty 
asked  her  impatiently :  "  What  do  you  want  this  time, 
old  woman  ?  "  And  she,  trembling  all  over,  said :  "  Please 
your  Majesty — nothing."  Then  the  king  exclaimed: 

343 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

"  But  it  cannot  be  nothing.  Something  you  must  want, 
so  tell  me  truth  at  once,  if  you  value  your  life  ! "  There- 
upon the  old  woman  was  forced  to  tell  all  the  story  to  the 
king ;  how  her  son  had  a  great  desire  to  marry  the  princess, 
and  so  had  forced  her  to  come  and  ask  the  king  to  give 
her  him  to  wife. 

When  the  king  had  heard  everything,  he  said :  "  Well, 
after  all,  /  shall  say  nothing  against  it  if  my  daughter  will 
consent  to  it."  He  then  told  his  servants  to  lead  the 
princess  into  his  presence.  When  she  came  he  told  her 
all  about  the  affair,  and  asked  her,  "  Are  you  willing  to 
marry  the  son  of  this  old  woman  ?  " 

The  Condition 

The  princess  answered :  "  Why  not  ?  If  only  he  learns 
first  the  trade  that  no  one  knows  1 "  Thereupon  the  king 
bade  his  attendants  give  money  to  the  poor  woman,  who 
now  went  back  to  her  hut  with  a  light  heart. 
The  moment  she  entered  her  son  asked  her :  "  Have  you 
engaged  her  ?  "  And  she  returned :  "  Do  let  me  get  my 
breath  a  little !  Well,  now  I  have  really  asked  the  king  : 
but  it  is  of  no  use,  for  the  princess  declares  she  will  not 
marry  you  until  you  have  learnt  the  trade  that  no  one 
knows ! " 

"  Oh,  that  matters  nothing ! "  exclaimed  the  son.  "  Now 
I  only  know  the  condition,  it's  all  right!"  The  next 
morning  the  young  man  set  out  on  his  travels  through  the 
world  in  search  of  a  man  who  could  teach  him  the  trade 
that  no  one  knows.  He  wandered  about  a  long  time 
without  being  able  to  find  out  where  he  could  learn  such 
a  trade.  At  length  one  day,  being  quite  tired  out  with 
walking  and  very  sad,  he  sat  down  on  a  fallen  log  by  the 
wayside.  After  he  had  sat  thus  a  little  while,  an  old 
344 


The  Condition 

woman  came  up  to  him,  and  asked :  "  Why  art  thou  so 
sad,  my  son?  "  And  he  answered  :  "What  is  the  use  of 
your  asking,  when  you  cannot  help  me?"  But  she  con- 
tinued :  "  Only  tell  me  what  is  the  matter,  and  perhaps  I 
can  help  you."  Then  he  said  :  "  Well,  if  you  must  know, 
the  matter  is  this :  I  have  been  travelling  about  the  world 
a  long  time  to  find  a  master  who  can  teach  me  the  trade 
that  no  one  knows."  "Oh,  if  it  is  only  that,"  cried  the 
old  woman,  "just  listen  to  me !  Don't  be  afraid,  but  go 
straight  into  the  forest  which  lies  before  you,  and  there 
you  will  find  what  you  want." 

The  young  man  was  very  glad  to  hear  this,  and  got  up 
at  once  and  went  to  the  forest.  When  he  had  gone  pretty 
far  in  the  wood  he  saw  a  large  castle,  and  whilst  he  stood 
looking  at  it  and  wondering  what  it  was,  four  giants  came 
out  of  it  and  ran  up  to  him,  shouting :  "  Do  you  wish  to 
learn  the  trade  that  no  one  knows?"  He  said  :  "Yes; 
that  is  just  the  reason  why  I  come  here."  Whereupon 
they  took  him  into  the  castle. 

Next  morning  the  giants  prepared  to  go  out  hunting,  and, 
before  leaving,  they  said  to  him :  "  You  must  on  no 
account  go  into  the  first  room  by  the  dining-hall." 
Hardly,  however,  were  the  giants  well  out  of  sight  before 
the  young  man  began  to  reason  thus  with  himself  :  "  I  see 
very  well  that  I  have  come  into  a  place  from  which  I 
shall  never  go  out  alive  with  my  head,  so  I  may  as  well 
see  what  is  in  the  room,  come  what  may  afterwards."  So 
he  went  and  opened  the  door  a  little  and  peeped  in.  There 
stood  a  golden  ass,  bound  to  a  golden  manger.  He  looked 
at  it  a  little,  and  was  just  going  to  shut  the  door  when  the 
ass  said :  "  Come  and  take  the  halter  from  my  head,  and 
keep  it  hidden  about  you.  It  will  serve  you  well  if  you 
only  understand  how  to  use  it."  So  he  took  the  halter, 

345 


Tales  <^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

and,  after  fastening  the  room-door,  quickly  concealed  it 
under  his  clothes.     He  had  not  sat  very  long  before  the 
giants  came  home.     They  asked  him  at  once  if  he  had 
been  in  the  first  room,  and  he,  much  frightened,  replied : 
"  No,  I  have  not  been  in."     "  But  we  know  that  you  have 
been  !  "  said  the  giants  in  great  anger,  and  seizing  some 
large  sticks  they  beat  him  so  severely  that  he  could  hardly 
stand  on  his  feet.     It  was  very  lucky  for  him  that  he  had 
the  halter  wound  round  his  body  under  his  clothes,  or  else 
he  would  certainly  have  been  killed. 
The  next  day  the  giants  again  prepared  to  go  out  hunting, 
but  before  leaving  him  they  ordered  him  on  no  account  to 
enter  the  second  room. 

Almost  as  soon  as  the  giants  had  gone  away  he  became 
so  very  curious  to  see  what  might  be  in  the  second  room, 
that  he  could  not  resist  going  to  the  door.     He  stood 
there  a  little,  thinking  within  himself,  "Well,  I  am  already 
more  dead  than  alive,  much  worse  cannot  happen  to  me ! " 
and  so  he  opened  the  door  and  looked  in.     There  he  was 
surprised  to  see  a  very  beautiful  girl,  dressed  all  in  gold 
and  silver,  who  sat  combing  her  hair,  and  setting  in  every 
tress  a  large  diamond.     He  stood  admiring  her  a  little 
while,  and  was  just  going  to  shut  the  door  again,  when 
she  spoke,  "  Wait  a  minute,  young  man.     Come  and  take 
this  key,  and  mind  you  keep  it  safely.     It  will  serve  you 
some  time,  if  you  only  know  how  to  use  it."     So  he  went 
in  and  took  the  key  from  the  girl,  and  then,  going  out, 
fastened  the  door  and  went  and  sat  down  in  the  same 
place  he  had  sat  before. 

He  had  not  remained  there  very  long  before  the  giants 
came  home  from  hunting.  The  moment  they  entered  the 
house  they  took  up  their  large  sticks  to  beat  him,  asking, 
at  the  same  time,  whether  he  had  been  in  the  second  room. 
346 


The  Third  Room 

Shaking  all  over  with  fear,  he  answered  them,  "  No,  I 
have  not ! " 

"  But  we  know  you  have  been,"  shouted  the  giants  in  great 
anger,  and  they  then  beat  him  worse  than  on  the  first  day. 

The  Third  Room 

The  next  morning,  as  the  giants  went  out  as  usual  to  hunt, 
they  said  to  him :  "  Do  not  go  into  the  third  room,  for 
anything  in  the  world;  for  if  you  do  go  in  we  shall  not 
forgive  you  as  we  did  yesterday,  and  the  day  before !  We 
shall  kill  you  outright ! "  No  sooner,  however,  had  the 
giants  gone  out  of  sight,  than  the  young  man  began  to  say 
to  himself,  "  Most  likely  they  will  kill  me,  whether  I  go 
into  the  room  or  not.  Besides,  if  they  do  not  kill  me, 
they  have  beaten  me  so  badly  already  that  I  am  sure  I 
cannot  live  long,  so,  anyhow,  I  will  go  and  see  what  is  in 
third  room."  Then  he  got  up  and  went  and  opened  the 
door. 

He  was  quite  shocked,  however,  when  he  saw  that  the 
room  was  full  of  human  heads  !  These  heads  belonged 
to  young  men  who  had  come,  like  himself,  to  learn  the 
trade  that  no  one  knows,  and  who,  having  obeyed  faithfully 
and  strictly  the  orders  of  the  giants,  had  been  killed  by 
them. 

The  young  man  was  turning  quickly  to  go  away  when  one 
of  the  heads  called  out :  "  Don't  be  afraid,  but  come 
in ! "  Thereupon  he  went  into  the  room.  .Then  the 
head  gave  him  an  iron  chain,  and  said :  "  Take  care  of 
this  chain,  for  it  will  serve  you  some  time  if  you  know 
how  to  use  it ! "  So  he  took  the  chain,  and  going  out 
fastened  the  door. 

He  went  and  sat  down  in  the  usual  place  to  wait  for  the 
coming  home  of  the  giants,  and,  as  he  waited,  he  grew 

347 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

quite  frightened,  for  he  fully  expected  that  they  would 
really  kill  him  this  time. 

The  instant  the  giants  came  home  they  took  up  their 
thick  sticks  and  began  to  beat  him  without  stopping  to 
ask  anything.  They  beat  him  so  terribly  that  he  was  all 
but  dead ;  then  they  threw  him  out  of  the  house,  saying 
to  him :  "  Go  away  now,  since  you  have  learnt  the  trade 
that  no  one  knows  !  "  When  he  had  lain  a  long  time  on 
the  ground  where  they  had  thrown  him,  feeling  very  sore 
and  miserable,  at  length  he  tried  to  move  away,  saying  to 
himself:  "Well,  if  they  really  have  taught  me  the  trade 
that  no  one  knows^  for  the  sake  of  the  king's  daughter  I 
can  suffer  gladly  all  this  pain,  if  I  can  only  win  her." 
After  travelling  for  a  long  time,  the  young  man  came  at 
last  to  the  palace  of  the  king  whose  daughter  he  wished 
to  marry.  When  he  saw  the  palace,  he  was  exceedingly 
sad,  and  remembered  the  words  of  the  princess  ;  for,  after 
all  his  wanderings  and  sufferings,  he  had  learnt  no  trade, 
and  had  never  been  able  to  find  what  trade  it  was  "  that 
no  one  knows."  Whilst  considering  what  he  had  better 
do,  he  suddenly  recollected  the  halter,  the  key  and  the 
iron  chain,  which  he  had  carried  concealed  about  him  ever 
since  he  left  the  castle  of  the  four  giants.  He  then  said 
to  himself,  "  Let  me  see  what  these  things  can  do  !  "  So 
he  took  the  halter  and  struck  the  earth  with  it,  and 
immediately  a  handsome  horse,  beautifully  caparisoned, 
stood  before  him.  Then  he  struck  the  ground  with  the 
iron  chain,  and  instantly  a  hare  and  a  greyhound  appeared, 
and  the  hare  began  to  run  quickly  and  the  greyhound  to 
follow  her.  In  a  moment  the  young  man  hardly  knew 
himself,  for  he  found  himself  in  a  fine  hunting-dress,  riding 
on  the  horse  after  the  hare,  which  took  a  path  that  passed 
immediately  under  the  windows  of  the  king's  palace. 
348 


The  Son  Returns 

Now,  it  happened  that  the  king  stood  at  a  window  looking 
out,  and  noticed  at  once  the  beautiful  greyhound  which 
was  chasing  the  hare,  and  the  very  handsome  horse  which 
a  huntsman  in  a  splendid  dress  was  mounted  on.  The 
king  was  so  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the  horse  and 
the  greyhound  that  he  called  instantly  some  of  his  servants, 
and,  sending  them  after  the  strange  rider,  bade  them 
invite  him  to  come  to  the  palace.  The  young  man,  how- 
ever, hearing  some  people  coming  behind  him  calling  and 
shouting,  rode  quickly  behind  a  thick  bush,  and  shook  a 
little  the  halter  and  the  iron  chain.  In  a  moment  the 
horse,  the  greyhound,  and  the  hare  had  vanished,  and  he 
found  himself  sitting  on  the  ground  under  the  trees  dressed 
in  his  old  shabby  clothes.  By  this  time  the  king's 
servants  had  come  up,  and,  seeing  him  sit  there,  they 
asked  him  whether  he  had  seen  a  fine  huntsman  on  a 
beautiful  horse  pass  that  way.  But  he  answered  them 
rudely :  "  No  !  I  have  not  seen  any  one  pass,  neither  do  I 
care  to  look  to  see  who  passes  !  " 

Then  the  king's  servants  went  on  and  searched  the  forest, 
calling  and  shouting  as  loudly  as  they  could,  but  it  was  all 
in  vain ;  they  could  neither  see  nor  hear  anything  of  the 
hunter.  At  length  they  went  back  to  the  king,  and  told 
him  that  the  horse  the  huntsman  rode  was  so  exceedingly 
quick  that  they  could  not  hear  anything  of  him  in  the 
forest. 

The  Son  Returns 

The  young  man  now  resolved  to  go  to  the  hut  where  his 
old  parents  lived ;  and  they  were  glad  to  see  that  he  had 
come  back  to  them  once  more. 

Next  morning,  the  son  said  to  his  father :  "  Now,  father, 
I  will  show  you  what  I  have  learned.  I  will  change  myself 

349 


Tales  §P  Legends  ot  the  Serbians 

into  a  beautiful  horse,  and  you  must  lead  me  into  the 
city  and  sell  me,  but  be  very  careful  not  to  give  away  the 
halter,  or  else  I  shall  remain  always  a  horse  !  "  Accord- 
ingly, in  a  moment  he  changed  himself  into  a  horse  of 
extraordinary  beauty,  and  the  father  took  him  to  the 
market-place  to  sell  him.  Very  soon  a  great  number  of 
people  gathered  round  the  horse,  wondering  at  his  unusual 
beauty,  and  very  high  prices  were  offered  for  him ;  the 
old  man,  however,  raised  the  price  higher  and  higher  at 
every  offer.  The  news  spread  quickly  about  the  city  that 
a  wonderfully  handsome  horse  was  for  sale  in  the  market- 
place, and  at  length  the  king  himself  heard  of  it,  and  sent 
some  servants  to  bring  the  horse,  that  he  might  see  it. 
The  old  man  led  the  horse  at  once  before  the  palace,  and  the 
king,  after  looking  at  it  for  some  time  with  great  admira- 
tion, could  not  help  exclaiming,  "  By  my  word,  though  I 
am  a  king,  I  never  yet  saw,  much  less  rode,  so  handsome 
a  horse!"  Then  he  asked  the  old  man  if  he  would  sell 
it  him.  "  I  will  sell  it  to  your  Majesty,  very  willingly," 
said  the  old  man ;  "  but  I  will  sell  only  the  horse,  and  not 
the  halter."  Thereupon  the  king  laughed,  saying :  "  What 
should  I  want  with  your  dirty  halter  ?  For  such  a  horse 
I  will  have  a  halter  of  gold  made !  "  So  the  horse  was 
sold  to  the  king  for  a  very  high  price,  and  the  old  man 
returned  home  with  the  money. 

Next  morning,  however,  there  was  a  great  stir  and  much 
consternation  in  the  royal  stables,  for  the  beautiful  horse 
had  vanished  somehow  during  the  night.  And  at  the 
time  when  the  horse  disappeared,  the  young  man  returned 
to  his  parents'  hut. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards  the  young  man  said  to  his 
father :  "  Now  I  will  turn  myself  into  a  fine  church  not 
far  from  the  king's  palace,  and  if  the  king  wishes  to  buy 
350 


The  King  Outbid 

it  you  may  sell  it  him,  only  be  sure  not  to  part  with  the 
key  or  else  I  must  remain  always  a  church !  " 
When  the  king  got  up  that  morning,  and  went  to  his 
window  to  look  out,  he  saw  a  beautiful  church  which  he 
had  never  noticed  before.  Then  he  sent  his  servants  out 
to  see  what  it  was,  and  soon  after  they  came  back  saying, 
that  "the  church  belonged  to  an  old  pilgrim,  who  told 
them  that  he  was  willing  to  sell  it  if  the  king  wished  to 
buy  it."  Then  the  king  sent  to  ask  what  price  he  would 
sell  it  for,  and  the  pilgrim  replied :  "  It  is  worth  a  great 
deal  of  money." 

The  King  Outbid 

Whilst  the  servants  were  bargaining  with  the  father  an 
old  woman  came  up.  Now  this  was  the  same  old  woman 
who  had  sent  the  young  man  to  the  castle  of  the  four 
giants,  and  she  herself  had  been  there  and  had  learnt  the 
trade  that  no  one  knew.  As  she  understood  at  once  all 
about  the  church,  and  had  no  mind  to  have  a  rival  in  the 
trade,  she  resolved  to  put  an  end  to  the  young  man.  For 
this  purpose  she  began  to  outbid  the  king,  and  offered, 
at  last,  so  very  large  a  sum  of  ready  money,  that  the  old 
man  was  quite  astonished  and  confused  at  seeing  the 
money  which  she  showed  him.  He  accordingly  accepted 
her  offer,  but  whilst  he  was  counting  the  money,  quite 
forgot  about  the  key.  Before  long,  however,  he  recollected 
what  his  son  had  said,  and  then,  fearing  some  mischief, 
he  ran  after  old  woman  and  demanded  the  key  back. 
But  the  woman  could  not  be  persuaded  Jo  give  back  the 
key,  and  said  it  belonged  to  the  church  which  she  had 
bought  and  paid  for.  Seeing  she  would  not  give  up  the 
key,  the  old  man  grew  more  and  more  alarmed,  lest  some 
ill  should  befall  his  son,  so  he  took  hold  of  the  old  woman 

35* 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

by  the  neck  and  forced  her  to  drop  the  key.  She  struggled 
very  hard  to  get  it  back  again,  and,  whilst  the  old  man 
and  she  wrestled  together,  the  key  changed  itself  suddenly 
into  a  dove  and  flew  away  high  in  the  air  over  the  palace 
gardens. 

When  the  old  woman  saw  this,  she  changed  herself  into 
a  hawk,  and  chased  the  dove.  Just,  however,  as  the  hawk 
was  about  to  pounce  upon  it,  the  dove  turned  itself  into  a 
beautiful  bouquet,  and  dropped  down  into  the  hand  of  the 
king's  daughter,  who  happened  to  be  walking  in  the 
garden.  Then  the  hawk  changed  again  into  the  old 
woman,  who  went  to  the  gate  of  the  palace  and  begged 
very  hard  that  the  princess  would  give  that  bouquet,  or, 
at  least,  one  single  flower  from  it. 

But  the  princess  said,  "  No !  not  for  anything  in  the 
world  !  These  flowers  fell  to  me  from  heaven ! "  The 
old  woman,  however,  was  determined  to  get  one  flower 
from  the  bouquet,  so,  seeing  the  princess  would  not  hear 
her,  she  went  straight  to  the  king,  and  begged  piteously 
that  he  would  order  his  daughter  to  give  her  one  of  the 
flowers  from  her  bouquet.  The  king,  thinking  the  old 
woman  wanted  one  of  the  flowers  to  cure  some  disease, 
called  his  daughter  to  him,  and  told  her  to  give  one  to  the 
beggar. 

But  just  as  the  king  said  this,  the  bouquet  changed  itself 
into  a  heap  of  millet-seed  and  scattered  itself  all  over  the 
ground.  Then  the  old  woman  quickly  changed  herself 
into  a  hen  and  chickens,  and  began  greedily  to  pick  up 
the  seeds.  Suddenly,  however,  the  millet  vanished,  and 
In  its  place  appeared  a  fox,  which  sprang  on  the  hen  and 
killed  her. 

Then  the  fox  changed  into  the  young  man,  who  explained 
to  the  astonished  king  and  princess  that  he  it  was  who  had 
352 


The  Golden-Haired  Twins 

demanded  the  hand  of  the  princess,  and  that,  in  order  to 
obtain  it  he  had  wandered  all  over  the  world  in  search  of 
some  one  who  could  teach  him  "the  trade  that  no  one 
knows." 

When  the  king  and  his  daughter  heard  this,  they  gladly 
fulfilled  their  part  of  the  bargain,  seeing  how  well  the 
young  man  had  fulfilled  his. 

Then,  shortly  afterwards,  the  king's  daughter  married  the 
son  of  the  poor  old  couple ;  and  the  king  built  for  the 
princess  and  her  husband  a  palace  close  to  his  own.  There 
they  lived  long  and  had  plenty  of  children,  and  people  say 
that  some  of  their  descendants  are  living  at  present,  and 
that  these  go  constantly  to  pray  in  the  church,  which  is 
always  open  because  the  key  of  it  turned  itself  into  a 
young  man  who  married  the  king's  daughter,  after  he  had 
shown  to  her  that  he  had  done  as  she  wished,  and  learnt, 
for  her  sake,  "  the  trade  that  no  one  knows." 

XX.  THE  GOLDEN-HAIRED  TWINS 
Once  upon  a  time,  a  long,  long  while  ago,  there  lived  a 
young  king  who  wished  very  much  to  marry,  but  could  not 
decide  where  he  had  better  look  for  a  wife. 
One  evening  as  he  was  walking  disguised  through  the 
streets  of  his  capital,  as  it  was  his  frequent  custom  to  do, 
he  stopped  to  listen  near  an  open  window  where  he  heard 
three  young  girls  chatting  gaily  together. 
The  girls  were  talking  about  a  report  which  had  been 
lately  spread  through  the  city,  that  the  king  intended  soon 
to  marry. 

One  of  the  girls  exclaimed :  "If  the  king  would  marry 
me  I  would  give  him  a  son  who  should  be  the  greatest 
hero  in  the  world." 

The  second  girl  said  :  "And  if  I  were  to  be  his  wife  I 

z  353 


Tales  Sf  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

would  present  him  with  two  sons  at  once — the  twins  with 
golden  hair." 

And  the  third  girl  declared  that  were  the  king  to  marry 
her>  she  would  give  him  a  daughter  so  beautiful  that  there 
should  not  be  her  equal  in  the  whole  wide  world  ! 
The  young  king  listened  to  all  this,  and  for  some  time 
thought  over  their  words,  and  tried  to  make  up  his  mind 
which  of  the  three  girls  he  should  choose  for  a  wife.  At 
last  he  decided  that  he  would  marry  the  one  who  had  said 
she  would  bring  him  twins  with  golden  hair. 
Having  once  settled  this  in  his  own  mind,  he  ordered  that 
all  preparations  for  his  marriage  should  be  made  forthwith, 
and  shortly  after,  when  all  was  ready,  he  married  the 
second  girl  of  the  three. 

Several  months  after  his  marriage  the  young  king,  who 
was  at  war  with  one  of  the  neighbouring  princes,  received 
tidings  of  the  defeat  of  his  army,  and  heard  that  his 
presence  was  immediately  required  in  the  camp.  He 
accordingly  left  his  capital  and  went  to  his  army,  leaving 
the  young  queen  in  his  palace  to  the  care  of  his  step- 
mother. 

Now  the  king's  stepmother  hated  her  daughter-in-law  very 
much  indeed,  so  when  the  young  queen  was  near  her 
confinement,  the  old  queen  told  her  that  it  was  always 
customary  in  the  royal  family  for  the  heirs  to  the  throne 
to  be  born  in  a  garret. 

The  young  queen  (who  knew  nothing  about  the  customs  in 
royal  families  except  what  she  had  learnt  from  hearing  or 
seeing  since  her  marriage  to  the  king)  believed  implicitly 
what  her  mother-in-law  told  her,  although  she  thought  it  a 
great  pity  to  leave  her  splendid  apartments  and  go  up  into 
a  miserable  attic. 

Now  when  the  golden-haired  twins  were  born,  the  old 
354 


The  Plight  of  the  Young  Queen 

queen  contrived  to  steal  them  out  of  their  cradle,  and  put 
in  their  place  two  ugly  little  dogs.  She  then  caused  the 
two  beautiful  golden-haired  boys  to  be  buried  alive  in  an 
out-of-the-way  spot  in  the  palace  gardens,  and  then  sent 
word  to  the  king  that  the  young  queen  had  given  him  two 
little  dogs  instead  of  the  heirs  he  was  hoping  for.  The 
wicked  stepmother  said  in  her  letter  to  the  king  that  she 
herself  was  not  surprised  at  this,  though  she  was  very 
sorry  for  his  disappointment.  As  to  herself,  she  had  a 
long  time  suspected  the  young  queen  of  having  too  great 
a  friendship  for  goblins  and  elves,  and  all  kinds  of  evil 
spirits. 

When  the  king  received  this  letter,  he  fell  into  a  frightful 
rage,  because  he  had  only  married  the  young  girl  in  order 
to  have  the  golden-haired  twins  she  had  promised  him  as 
heirs  to  his  throne. 

So  he  sent  word  back  to  the  old  queen  that  his  wife  should 
be  put  at  once  into  the  dampest  dungeon  in  the  castle,  an 
order  which  the  wicked  woman  took  good  care  to  see 
carried  out  without  delay.  Accordingly  the  poor  young 
queen  was  thrown  into  a  miserably  dark  dungeon  under 
the  palace,  and  kej$|f  on  bread  and  water. 

The  Plight  of  the  Young  Queen 
Now  there  was  only  a  very  small  hole  in  this  prison — 
hardly  enough  to  let  in  light  and  air — yet  the  old  queen 
managed  to  cause  a  great  many  people  to  pass  by  this 
hole,  and  whoever  passed  was  ordered  to  spit  at  and 
abuse  the  unhappy  young  queen,  calling  out  to  her,  "  Are 
you  really  the  queen  ?  Are  you  the  girl  who  cheated  the 
king  in  order  to  be  a  queen  ?  Where  are  your  golden- 
haired  twins?  You  cheated  the  king  and  your  friends, 
and  now  the  witches  have  cheated  you !  " 

355 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

But  the  young  king,  though  terribly  angry  and  mortified 
at  his  great  disappointment,  was,  at  the  same  time,  too 
sad  and  troubled  to  be  willing  to  return  to  his  palace. 
So  he  remained  away  for  fully  nine  years.  When  he  at 
last  consented  to  return,  the  first  thing  he  noticed  in  the 
palace  gardens  were  two  fine  young  trees,  exactly  the  same 
size  and  the  same  shape. 

These  trees  had  both  golden  leaves  and  golden  blossoms, 
and  had  grown  up  of  themselves  from  the  very  spot  where 
the  stepmother  of  the  king  had  buried  the  two  golden-haired 
boys  she  had  stolen  from  their  cradle. 
The  king  admired  these  two  trees  exceedingly,  and  was 
never  weary  of  looking  at  them.  This,  however,  did  not 
at  all  please  the  old  queen,  for  she  knew  that  the  two 
young  princes  were  buried  just  where  the  trees  grew,  and 
she  always  feared  that  by  some  means  what  she  had  done 
would  come  to  the  king's  ears.  She  therefore  pretended 
that  she  was  very  sick,  and  declared  that  she  was  sure 
she  should  die  unless  her  stepson,  the  king,  ordered  the 
two  golden-leaved  trees  to  be  cut  down,  and  a  bed  made 
for  her  out  of  their  wood. 

As  the  king  was  not  willing  to  be  the  cause  of  her  death, 
he  ordered  that  her  wishes  should  be  attended  to,  notwith- 
standing he  was  exceedingly  sorry  to  lose  his  favourite 
trees. 

A  bed  was  soon  made  from  the  two  trees,  and  the  seem- 
ingly sick  old  queen  was  laid  on  it  as  she  desired.  She 
was  quite  delighted  that  the  golden-leaved  trees  had  dis- 
appeared from  the  garden ;  but  when  midnight  came,  she 
could  not  sleep  a  bit,  for  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  heard 
the  boards  of  which  her  bed  was  made  in  conversation 
with  each  other ! 
At  last  it  seemed  to  her,  that  one  board  said,  quite  plainly, 

356 


The  Plight  of  the  Young  Queen 

"How  are  you,  my  brother?"  And  the  other  board 
answered:  "Thank  you,  I  am  very  well;  how  are  you?" 
"Oh,  I  am  all  right,"  returned  the  first  board;  "but  I 
wonder  how  our  poor  mother  is  in  her  dark  dungeon! 
Perhaps  she  is  hungry  and  thirsty !  " 
The  wicked  old  queen  could  not  sleep  a  minute  all  night, 
after  hearing  this  conversation  between  the  boards  of  her 
new  bed;  so  next  morning  she  got  up  very  early  and 
went  to  see  the  king.  She  thanked  him  for  attending  to 
her  wish,  and  said  she  already  was  much  better,  but  she 
felt  quite  sure  she  would  never  recover  thoroughly  unless 
the  boards  of  her  new  bed  were  cut  up  and  thrown  into  a 
fire.  The  king  was  sorry  to  lose  entirely  even  the  boards 
made  out  of  his  two  favourite  trees,  nevertheless  he  could 
not  refuse  to  use  the  means  pointed  out  for  his  step- 
mother's perfect  recovery. 

So  the  new  bed  was  cut  to  pieces  and  thrown  into  the 
fire.  But  whilst  the  boards  were  blazing  and  crackling, 
two  sparks  from  the  fire  flew  into  the  courtyard,  and  in 
the  next  moment  two  beautiful  lambs  with  golden  fleeces 
and  golden  horns  were  seen  gambolling  about  the  yard. 
The  king  admired  them  greatly,  and  made  many  inquiries 
who  had  sent  them  there,  and  to  whom  they  belonged. 
He  even  sent  the  public  crier  many  times  through  the 
city,  calling  ort  the  owners  of  the  golden-fleeced  lambs  to 
appear  and  claim  them ;  but  no  one  came,  so  at  length  he 
thought  he  might  fairly  take  them  as  his  own  property. 
The  king  took  very  great  care  of  these  two  beautiful 
lambs,  and  every  day  directed  that  they  should  be  well 
fed  and  attended  to ;  this,  however,  did  not  at  all  please 
his  stepmother.  She  could  not  endure  even  to  look  on 
the  lambs  with  their  golden  fleeces  and  golden  horns,  for 
they  always  reminded  her  of  the  golden-haired  twins. 

357 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

So,  in  a  little  while  she  pretended  again  to  be  dangerously 
sick,  and  declared  she  felt  sure  that  she  should  soon  die 
unless  the  two  lambs  were  killed  and  cooked  for  her. 
The  king  was  even  fonder  of  his  golden-fleeced  lambs  than 
he  had  been  of  the  golden-leaved  trees,  but  he  could  not 
long  resist  the  tears  and  prayers  of  the  old  queen,  especially 
as  she  seemed  to  be  very  ill.  Accordingly,  the  lambs 
were  killed,  and  a  servant  was  ordered  to  carry  their 
golden  fleeces  down  to  the  river  and  to  wash  the  blood 
well  out  of  them.  But  whilst  the  servant  held  them  under 
the  water,  they  slipped,  in  some  way  or  other,  out  of  his 
fingers,  and  floated  down  the  stream,  which  just  at  that 
place  flowed  very  rapidly.  Now  it  happened  that  a  hunter 
was  passing  near  the  river  a  little  lower  down,  and,  as  he 
chanced  to  look  in  the  water,  he  saw  something  strange 
in  it.  So  he  stepped  into  the  stream,  and  soon  fished  out 
a  small  box  which  he  carried  to  his  house,  and  there 
opened  it.  To  his  unspeakably  great  surprise,  he  found 
in  the  box  two  golden-haired  boys.  Now  the  hunter  had 
no  children  of  his  own ;  he  therefore  adopted  the  twins 
he  had  fished  out  of  the  river,  and  brought  them  up  just 
as  if  they  had  been  his  own  sons.  When  the  twins  were 
grown  up  into  handsome  young  men,  one  of  them  said  to 
his  foster-father,  "Make  us  two  suits  of  beggar's  clothes, 
and  let  us  go  and  wander  a  little  about  the  world  ! "  The 
hunter,  however,  replied  and  said :  "  No,  I  will  have  a 
fine  suit  made  for  each  of  you,  such  as  is  fitting  for  two 
such  noble-looking  young  men."  But  as  the  twins  begged 
hard  that  he  should  not  spend  his  money  uselessly  in  buy- 
ing fine  clothes,  telling  him  that  they  wished  to  travel 
about  as  beggars,  the  hunter — who  always  liked  to  do  as 
his  two  handsome  foster-sons  wished — did  as  they  desired, 
and  ordered  two  suit  of  clothes,  like  those  worn  by  beggars, 

358 


The  King's  Sons 

to  be  prepared  for  them.  The  two  sons  then  dressed 
themselves  up  as  beggars,  and  as  well  as  they  could  hid 
their  beautiful  golden  locks,  and  then  set  out  to  see  the 
world.  They  took  with  them  a  goussle  and  cymbal,  and 
maintained  themselves  with  their  singing  and  playing. 

The  King's  Sons 

They  had  wandered  about  in  this  way  some  time  when 
one  day  they  came  to  the  king's  palace.  As  the  afternoon 
was  already  pretty  far  advanced,  the  young  musicians 
begged  to  allowed  to  pass  the  night  in  one  of  the  out- 
buildings belonging  to  the  court,  as  they  were  poor  men, 
and  quite  strangers  in  the  city.  The  old  queen,  however, 
who  happened  to  be  just  then  in  the  courtyard,  saw  them, 
and  hearing  their  request  said  sharply  that  beggars  could 
not  be  permitted  to  enter  any  part  of  the  king's  palace. 
The  two  travellers  said  they  had  hoped  to  pay  for  their 
night's  lodging  by  their  songs  and  music,  as  one  of  them 
played  and  sung  to  the  goussle,  and  the  other  to  the 
cymbal. 

The  old  queen,  however,  was  not  moved  by  this,  but 
insisted  on  their  going  away  at  once.  Happily  for  the 
two  brothers,  the  king  himself  came  out  into  the  court- 
yard just  as  his  stepmother  angrily  ordered  them  to  go 
away,  and  at  once  directed  his  servants  to  find  a  place  for 
the  musicians  to  sleep  in,  and  ordered  them  to  provide 
the  brothers  with  a  good  supper.  After  they  had  supped, 
the  king  commanded  them  to  be  brought  before  him  that 
he  might  judge  of  their  skill  as  musicians,  and  that  their 
singing  might  help  him  to  pass  the  time  more  pleasantly. 
Accordingly,  after  the  two  young  men  had  taken  the 
refreshment  provided  for  them,  the  servants  took  them  into 
the  king's  presence,  and  they  began  to  sing  this  ballad  : — 

359 


Tales  SP  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

"  The  pretty  bird,  the  swallow,  built  her  nest  with  care  in 
the  palace  of  the  king.  In  the  nest  she  reared  up  happily 
two  of  her  little  ones.  A  black,  ugly-looking  bird,  how- 
ever came  to  the  swallow's  nest  to  mar  her  happiness  and 
to  kill  her  two  little  ones.  And  the  ugly  black  bird 
succeeded  in  destroying  the  happiness  of  the  poor  little 
swallow ;  the  little  ones,  however,  although  yet  weak  and 
unfledged  were  saved,  and,  when  they  were  grown  up  and 
able  to  fly,  they  came  to  look  at  the  palace  where  their 
mother,  the  pretty  swallow,  had  built  her  nest." 
This  strange  song  the  two  minstrels  sung  so  very  sweetly 
that  the  king  was  quite  charmed,  and  asked  them  the 
meaning  of  the  words. 

Whereupon  the  two  meanly  dressed  young  men  took  off 
their  hats,  so  that  the  rich  tresses  of  their  golden  hair  fell 
down  over  their  shoulders,  and  the  light  glanced  so 
brightly  upon  it  that  the  whole  hall  was  illuminated  by  the 
shining.  They  then  stepped  forward  together,  and  told 
the  king  all  that  had  happened  to  them  and  to  their  mother, 
and  convinced  him  that  they  were  really  his  own  sons. 
The  king  was  exceedingly  angry  when  he  heard  all  the 
cruel  things  his  stepmother  had  done,  and  he  gave  orders 
that  she  should  be  burnt  to  death.  He  then  went  with  the 
two  golden-haired  princes  to  the  miserable  dungeon  wherein 
his  unfortunate  wife  had  been  confined  so  many  years,  and 
brought  her  once  more  into  her  beautiful  palace.  There, 
looking  on  her  golden-haired  sons,  and  seeing  how  much 
the  king,  their  father,  loved  them,  she  soon  forgot  all  her 
long  years  of  misery.  As  to  the  king,  he  felt  that  he  could 
never  do  enough  to  make  amends  for  all  the  misfortunes 
his  queen  had  lived  through,  and  all  the  dangers  to  which 
his  twin  sons  had  been  exposed.  He  felt  that  he  had  too 
easily  believed  the  stories  of  the  old  queen,  because  he 
360 


The  King's  Sons 

would  not  trouble  himself  to  inquire  more  particularly  into 
the  truth  or  falsehood  of  the  strange  things  she  had  told 
him. 

After  all  this  mortification,  and  trouble,  and  misery,  every- 
thing came  right  at  last.  So  the  king  and  his  wife,  with 
their  golden-haired  twins,  lived  together  long  and  happily. 


361 


CHAPTER  XV   :  SOME  SERBIAN 
POPULAR  ANECDOTES 

St.  Peter  and  the  Sand 

A  TOWNSMAN  went  one  day  to  the  country  to  hunt 
and  came  at  noon  to  the  house  of  a  peasant  whom  he 
knew.  The  man  asked  him  to  share  his.  dinner,  and 
while  they  were  eating,  the  townsman  lookecTaround  him 
and  noticed  that  there  was  but  little  arable  land  to  be  seen. 
There  were  rocks  and  stones  in  abundance,  however.  Sur- 
prised at  this,  the  townsman  exclaimed :  "  In  the  name  of 
all  that  is  good,  my  friend,  how  on  earth  can  you  good 
people  of  this  village  exist  without  arable  land  !  and 
whence  these  heaps  of  rocks  and  stones?"  "It  is, 
indeed,  a  great  misfortune ! "  answered  the  peasant. 
"  People  say  that  our  ancestors  heard  from  their  fore- 
fathers that  when  our  Lord  walked  on  this  earth,  St. 
Peter  accompanied  Him  carrying  on  his  back  a  sack  full 
of  sand.  Occasionally  our  Lord  would  take  a  grain  of 
sand  and  throw  it  down  to  make  a  mountain,  saying: 
*  May  this  grain  multiply ! J  When  they  arrived  here  St. 
Peter's  sack  burst  and  halt  of  its  contents  poured  out  in 
our  village." 

Why  the  Serbian  People  are  Poor 
The  nations  of  the  world  met  together  one  day  on  the 
middle  of  the  earth  to  divide  between  themselves  the 
good  things  in  life.  First  they  deliberated  upon  the 
methods  of  procedure.  Some  recommended  a  lottery,  but 
the  Christians,  well  knowing  that  they,  as  the  cleverest, 
would  be  able  to  obtain  the  most  desirable  gifts,  and  not 
wishing  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  fortune,  suggested  (and  the 
idea  was  instantly  adopted  by  all)  that  each  should  ex- 

362 


The  Gipsies  and  the  Nobleman 

press  a  wish  for  some  good  thing  and  it  would  be  granted 
to  him.  The  men  of  Italy  were  allowed  to  express  their 
wish  first,  and  they  desired  Wisdom.  The  Britons  said : 
"We  will  take  the  sea."  The  Turks:  "And  we  will 
take  fields."  The  Russians:  "We  will  take  the  forests 
and  mines."  The  French :  "  And  we  will  have  money 
and  war."  "And  what  about  you  Serbians?"  asked  the 
nations,  "  What  do  you  wish  for  ?  "  "  Wait  till  we  make 
up  our  mind !  "  answered  the  Serbians ;  and  they  have 
not  yet  agreed  upon  their  reply. 

The  Gipsies  and  the  Nobleman 

A  very  rich  and  powerful  nobleman  was  one  day  driving 
through  his  vast  estates.  From  afar  four  Tzigans *  noted 
that  he  was  alone,  and  greedily  coveting  his  fine  carriage 
horses,  determined  to  deprive  him  of  them.  As  the 
carriage  approached,  they  rushed  on  to  the  road,  respect- 
fully took  off  their  hats,  knelt  before  him,  and  one  of 
them  began  to  speak,  saying :  "  O  how  happy  we  are  to 
have  an  opportunity  of  manifesting  to  you,  O  most 
gracious  lord,  our  deep  gratitude  for  the  noble  deeds  and 
many  acts  of  kindness  with  which  your  late  and  generous 
father  used  to  overwhelm  us !  As  we  have  no  valuable 
presents  to  offer  you,  allow  us  to  harness  ourselves  to 
your  carriage  and  draw  you  home."  The  haughty  noble- 
man, proud  of  his  father's  good  deeds,  was  pleased  to 
assent  to  this  unusual  form  of  courtesy.  Two  gipsies 
thereupon  detached  the  horses,  harnessed  themselves  to 
the  carriage  and  drew  it  for  some  distance.  Suddenly, 
however,  they  cut  themselves  loose  and  ran  back  to  the 

1  Tzigans  or  Gipsies  in  Serbia,  and  indeed  in  the  whole  Balkan  Penin- 
sula, deal  mostly  with  horses.  Stealing  and  selling  horses  is  their  main 
occupation. 

363 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

two  other  rascals  who  by  this  time  had  got  clear  away 
with  the  horses. 

IVhy  the  Priest  was  drowned 

A  few  peasants  and  a  priest  were  once  crossing  a  river. 
Suddenly  a  tempest  arose  and  overturned  the  boat.  All 
were  good  swimmers  except  the  poor  priest,  and  when  the 
peasants  regained  their  boat  and  righted  it,  which  they 
did  very  soon,  they  approached  the  struggling  preacher 
and  called  to  him  to  give  them  his  hand  that  they  might 
save  him  ;  but  he  hesitated  and  was  drowned.  The 
peasants  went  to  impart  the  sad  news  to  the  priest's 
widow  who,  hearing  it,  exclaimed  :  "  What  a  pity  !  But 
had  you  offered  him  your  hands,  he  would  surely  have 
accepted  them,  and  thus  his  precious  life  would  have  been 
saved  —  for  it  was  ever  his  custom  to  receive" 


The  Era  from  the  other 
A  Turk  and  his  wife  halted  in  the  shadow  of  a  tree.  The 
Turk  went  to  the  river  to  water  his  horse,  and  his  wife 
remained  to  await  his  return.  Just  then  an  Era  passed 
by  and  saluted  the  Turkish  woman:  "Allah  help  you, 
noble  lady  !  "  "  May  God  aid  you,"  she  returned  ; 
"  whence  do  you  come  ?  "  "I  come  from  the  Other 
World,  noble  lady."  "As  you  have  been  in  the  Other 
World,  have  you  not,  perchance,  seen  there  my  son 
Mouyo,  who  died  a  few  months  ago  ?  "  "  Oh,  how  could 
I  help  seeing  him  ?  He  is  my  immediate  neighbour." 
"Happy  me!  How  is  he,  then?"  "He  is  well,  may 
God  be  praised  !  But  he  could  stand  just  a  little  more 


1  Era  is  a  name  given  to  the  peasants  of  the  district  of  Ouzitze  (Western 
Serbia).  They  are  supposed  to  be  very  witty  and  shrewd,  and  might  be 
called  the  Irishmen  of  Serbia. 

364 


He  asked  the  Era  where  he  had  hidden  the  thief  364 


The  Era  from  the  other  World 

tobacco  and  some  more  pocket-money  to  pay  for  black 
coffee."  "  Are  you  going  back  again  ?  And  if  so,  would 
you  be  so  kind  as  to  deliver  to  him  this  purse  with  his 
parent's  greetings  ?  "  The  Era  took  the  money  protest- 
ing that  he  would  be  only  too  glad  to  convey  so  pleasant 
a  surprise  to  the  youth,  and  hurried  away.  Soon  the 
Turk  came  back,  and  his  wife  told  him  what  had 
transpired.  He  perceived  at  once  that  she  had  been 
victimized  and  without  stopping  to  reproach  her,  he 
mounted  his  horse  and  galloped  after  the  Era,  who, 
observing  the  pursuit,  and  guessing  at  once  that  the 
horseman  was  the  husband  of  the  credulous  woman, 
made  all  the  speed  that  he  could.  There  was  a  mill  near 
by  and  making  for  it,  the  Era  rushed  in  and  addressed  the 
miller  with :  "  For  Goodness5  sake,  brother,  fly !  There 
is  a  Turkish  horseman  coming  with  drawn  sword ;  he 
will  kill  you.  I  heard  him  say  so  and  have  hurried  to 
warn  you  in  time."  The  miller  had  no  time  to  ask 
for  particulars ;  he  knew  how  cruel  the  Turks  were,  and 
without  a  word  he  dashed  out  of  the  mill  and  fled  up  the 
adjacent  rocks. 

Meantime  the  Era  placed  the  miller's  hat  upon  his  own 
head  and  sprinkled  flour  copiously  over  his  clothes,  that 
he  might  look  like  a  miller.  No  sooner  was  this  done 
than  the  Turk  came  up.  Alighting  from  his  horse,  he 
rushed  into  the  mill  and  hurriedly  asked  the  Era  where 
he  had  hidden  the  thief.  The  Era  pointed  indifferently 
to  the  flying  miller  on  the  rock,  whereupon  the  Turk 
requested  him  to  take  care  of  his  horse  while  he  ran  and 
caught  the  swindler.  When  the  Turk  was  gone  some 
distance  up  the  hill  our  Era  brushed  his  clothes,  swiftly 
mounted  the  horse  and  galloped  away.  The  Turk  caught 
the  real  miller,  and  demanded:  "Where  is  the  money 

365 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

you  took  from  my  wife,  swindler  ?  "  The  poor  miller  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross1  and  said:  "  God  forbid!  I  never 
saw  your  noble  lady,  still  less  did  I  take  her  money." 
After  about  half  an  hour  of  futile  discussion,  the  Turk 
was  convinced  of  the  miller's  innocence,  and  returned  to 
where  he  had  left  his  horse.  But  lo !  There  was  no  sign 
of  a  horse !  He  walked  sadly  back  to  his  wife,  and  she, 
seeing  that  her  husband  had  no  horse,  asked  in  surprise  : 
"Where  did  you  go,  and  what  became  of  your  horse?" 
The  Turk  replied  :  "  You  sent  money  to  our  darling  son ; 
so  I  thought  I  had  better  send  him  the  horse  that  he  need 
not  go  on  foot  in  the  Other  World  !  " 

A  Trade  before  Everything 

Once  upon  a  time  a  king  set  out  in  his  luxurious  pleasure- 
galley  accompanied  by  his  queen  and  a  daughter.  They 
had  proceeded  a  very  little  way  from  the  shore  when  a 
powerful  wind  drove  the  galley  far  out  to  sea,  where  at 
last  it  was  dashed  upon  a  barren  rock.  Fortunately  there 
was  a  small  boat  upon  the  galley,  and  the  king,  being  a 
good  sailor,  was  able  to  launch  this  frail  bark,  and  he 
rescued  his  wife  and  daughter  from  the  waves.  After 
long  tossing  and  drifting,  good  fortune  smiled  upon  the 
wanderers ;  they  began  to  see  birds  and  floating  leaves, 
which  indicated  that  they  were  approaching  dry  land. 
And,  indeed,  they  soon  came  in  sight  of  shore,  and,  as  the 
sea  was  now  calm,  were  able  to  land  without  further  ad- 
venture. But,  alas,  the  king  knew  no  trade,  and  had  no 
money  upon  his  person.  Consequently  he  was  forced  to 
offer  his  services  as  a  shepherd  to  a  rich  landowner,  who 
gave  him  a  hut  and  a  flock  of  sheep  to  tend. 

1  When  Serbians  are  greatly  surprised  at  anything  they  involuntarily 
make  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

366 


The  Condition 

In  these  idyllic  and  simple  conditions  they  lived  con- 
tentedly for  several  years,  undisturbed  by  regrets  for  the 
magnificence  of  their  past  circumstances. 
One  day  the  only  son  of  the  ruler  of  that  strange  country 
lost  his  way  while  riding  in  the  neighbourhood  after  a  fox, 
and  presently  he  beheld  the  beautiful  daughter  of  our 
shepherd.  No  sooner  did  his  eyes  fall  upon  the  maiden 
than  he  fell  violently  in  love  with  her,  and  she  was  not 
unwilling  to  receive  the  protestations  of  undying  affection 
which  he  poured  into  her  ears.  They  met  again  and 
again,  and  the  maiden  consented  to  marry  the  prince, 
provided  her  parents  would  approve  the  match. 
The  prince  first  declared  his  wish  to  his  own  parents,  who, 
of  course,  were  greatly  astonished  at  their  son's  apparently 
foolish  selection,  and  would  not  give  their  consent.  But 
the  prince  protested  solemnly  that  his  resolution  was 
unshakable;  he  would  either  marry  the  girl  he  loved  or 
remain  single  all  his  days.  Finally  his  royal  father  took 
pity  on  him,  and  sent  his  first  adjutant  to  the  shepherd 
secretly  to  ask  the  hand  of  his  daughter  for  the  prince. 

The  Condition 

When  the  adjutant  came  and  communicated  the  royal 
message,  the  shepherd  asked  him  :  "  Is  there  any  trade 
with  which  the  royal  prince  is  familiar  ?  "  The  adjutant 
was  amazed  at  such  a  question.  "Lord  forbid,  foolish 
man!"  he  exclaimed,  "how  could  you  expect  the  heir- 
apparent  to  know  a  trade  ?  People  learn  trades  in  order 
to  earn  their  daily  bread ;  princes  possess  lands  and  cities, 
and  so  do  not  need  to  work." 

But  the  shepherd  persisted,  saying:  "  If  the  prince  knows 
no  trade,  he  cannot  become  my  son-in-law." 
The  royal  courier  returned  to  the  palace  and  reported  to 

367 


Tales  5f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 

the  king  his  conversation  with  the  shepherd,  and  great 
was  the  astonishment  throughout  the  palace  when  the 
news  became  known,  for  all  expected  that  the  shepherd 
would  be  highly  flattered  that  the  king  had  chosen  his 
daughter's  hand  for  the  prince  in  preference  to  the  many 
royal  and  imperial  princesses  who  would  have  been  willing 
to  marry  him  for  the  asking. 

The  king  sent  again  to  the  shepherd,  but  the  man  remained 
firm  in  his  resolution.  "  As  long  as  the  prince,"  said  he, 
"  does  not  know  any  trade,  I  shall  not  grant  him  the  hand 
of  my  daughter." 

When  this  second  official  brought  back  to  the  palace  the 
same  answer,  the  king  informed  his  son  of  the  shepherd's 
condition,  and  the  royal  prince  resolved  to  put  himself  in 
the  way  of  complying  with  it. 

His  first  step  was  to  go  through  the  city  from  door  to 
door  in  order  to  select  some  simple  and  easy  trade.  As 
he  walked  through  the  streets  he  beheld  various  craftsmen 
at  their  work,  but  he  did  not  stay  until  he  came  to  the 
workshop  of  a  carpet-maker,  and  this  trade  appeared  to  him 
both  easy  and  lucrative.  He  therefore  offered  his  services 
to  the  master,  who  gladly  undertook  to  teach  him  the  trade. 
In  due  time  the  prince  obtained  a  certificate  of  efficiency, 
and  he  went  to  the  shepherd  and  showed  it  to  him, 
together  with  samples  of  his  hand  work.  The  shepherd 
examined  these  and  asked  the  prince  :  "  How  much  could 
you  get  for  this  carpet  ?  "  The  prince  replied :  "  If  it  is 
made  of  grass,  I  could  sell  it  for  threepence."  "Why, 
that  is  a  splendid  trade,"  answered  the  shepherd,  "  three- 
pence to-day  and  another  threepence  to-morrow  would 
make  sixpence,  and  in  two  other  days  you  would  have 
earned  a  shilling  !  If  I  only  had  known  this  trade  a  few 
years  ago  I  would  not  have  been  a  shepherd." 
368 


The  Condition 

Thereupon  he  related  to  the  prince  and  his  suite  the  story 
of  his  past  life,  and  what  ill  fate  had  befallen  him,  to  the 
greatest  surprise  of  all.  You  may  be  sure  that  the  prince 
rejoiced  to  learn  that  his  beloved  was  highly  born,  and  the 
worthy  mate  of  a  king's  son.  As  for  his  father,  he  was 
especially  glad  that  his  son  had  fallen  in  love,  not  with  the 
daughter  of  a  simple  shepherd,  but  with  a  royal  princess. 
The  marriage  was  now  celebrated  with  great  magnificence, 
and  when  the  festivities  came  to  an  end,  the  king  gave  the 
shepherd  a  fine  ship,  together  with  a  powerful  escort,  that 
he  might  go  back  to  his  country  and  reassume  possession 
of  his  royal  throne. 


369 


Tpgms^ylvaniaX 

r<cfarl-»-      .  ^~)    (          I 


r7*^?r^ustchul<v 


N^/IIIAofrTonia  ^ 

vi  '     Salonika       ^^ 


W-, 


s^\  , ~, 

— ^  < — ^ 

*    '^c-Lember^,, 


THE  BALKAN    STATES 

TO     ILLUSTRATE 

TALES    &.   LEGENDS     OF   THE    SERBIANS 


English    Miles 


U          50          100 


200 


300 


GLOSSARY  ftp  INDEX 


There  are  thirty  characters  in  the  Serbian  alphabet  for  the  thirty 
corresponding  sounds,  of  which  five  are  vowels — all  open  sounds,  vizt 
a,  e,  u,  o,  y. 

a  as  in     "  father " 

e  as  in  "  met " 

u  as  e  in     "  be  " 

o  as  in  "  note " 

y  as  oo     in     "  boot." 

ou  is  pronounced  also  as  oo  in  "  boot."  Closed  or  semi-closed  vowels 
are  unknown  to  the  Serbian  tongue. 

The  twenty-five  consonants  are  pronounced  as  in  English,  with  the 
following  exceptions  : 

h  at  the  beginning  of  words  or  syllables  is  always  aspirated. 

r  is  always  rolled.  In  a  Serbian  monosyllable  it  sometimes  plays  the 
part  of  a  vowel  between  two  consonants,  e.g.  vrt  (garden). 

The  combinations  ts  or  tz,  as  in  "tsar,""  tzarina,"  etc.,  are  pronounced 
like  ts  in  "  its." 

y  has  been  used  in  the  English  forms  of  Serbian  names  not  as  a  vowel 
but  invariably  as  a  consonant,  as  in  "  year."  This  consonantal  y  has 
been  used  often  after  the  consonants  d,  I,  n,  and  t,  and  y  is  then  merged 
into  the  preceding  consonant  to  form  one  sound.  For  example,  dy  becomes 
very  like  the  sound  of  j  in  "  jaw,"  as  in  the  word  "  Dyourady,"  which 
is  pronounced  Joo-radg. 

z  in  the  names  "  Zdral  "  and  "  Zabylak  "  is  pronounced  like  s  in 
"  pleasure  "  ;  elsewhere  it  is  pronounced  as  in  English. 

The  Serbian  language  being  phonetic  does  not  employ  double  consonants, 
diphthongs  or  triphthongs.  The  thirty  letters  represent  always  the  same 
thirty  sounds,  and  the  position  of  the  written  symbol  does  not  affect  or 
qualify  its  sound. 

AGRAM  (Zagreb).  Croatians  es- 
tablish an  episcopate  at,  in 
eleventh  century,  14 

ALBANIA.  Subdued  by  Doushan 
the  Powerful,  5  ;  George  Kas- 
triotovitch-Skander-Beg  fights 
for  liberty  of,  8  ;  Skadar  the 
capital  of  Northern,  1 1  p 

ALBANIAN-S,  THE.  Driven  by 
Serbians  toward  the  Adriatic 
coast,  i  ;  spirits  of  the  wood 
dreaded  by,  19;  A  rbanass  an 
appellation  for,  108 

ALEXANDER.  Unworthy  son  of 
Milan  ;  ascends  throne  of  Ser- 
bia, 1 1  ;  marries  his  former 
mistress,  Draga  Mashin,  but  is 
murdered,  n 

AMOURADH.  A  Turkish  Grand 
Vizir;  Prince  Marko  and,  105-108 


ADRIANOPLE.  Equivalent,  Yed- 
renet,  123 

ADRIATIC.  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch 
sails  across,  to  Venice,  134,  142 

ADRIATIC  COAST.  The  Latins, 
Illyrians,  Thracians,  Greeks, 
and  Albanians  driven  by  the 
Serbians  toward  the,  i 

AFRICA-N,  WEST.  A  Serbian  folk- 
tale dealing  with  Animals' 
Language  ;  similarity  of,  to  a 
story  native  to  the  negroes  of, 
230 

AGES,  MIDDLE.  Banovitch  Stra- 
hinya,  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  famous  ballads  composed 
by  Serbian  bards  of  the,  1 1 9 


37i 


Tales  ^§?  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


AMOURATH,  SULTAN  (Mourat,  cor- 
rupted form).  Defeats  Knez 
Lazar  on  field  of  Kossovo,  7  ; 
Vlah-Ali  independent  of,  121  ; 
slain  by  Serbian  hero,  Vo'ivode 
Milosh,  173 

ANECDOTES.  Some  Serbian  popu- 
lar, 362-369  ;  "St.  Peter  and 
the  Sand,"  362  ;  "  Why  the 
Serbian  People  are  Poor,"  362  ; 
"The  Gipsies  and  the  Noble- 
man," 363  ;  "  Why  the  Priest 
was  Drowned,"  364  ;  "  The 
Era  from  the  other  World," 
364;  "  A  Trade  before  Every- 
thing," 366 

ANIMALS.  The  king  makes  war 
on  the ;  described  in  the 
Serbian  folk-tale  "Animals  as 
Friends  and  Enemies,"  313-316 

?'  ANIMALS  AS  FRIENDS  AND 
ENEMIES."  A  Serbian  folk- 
tale, 305-316 

ANIMALS'  COUNCIL,  THE.  De- 
scribed in  the  Serbian  folk-tale 
"  Animals  as  Friends  and 
Enemies,"  308,  309 

ANIMALS,  KING  OF  THE.  Hero  in 
a  Serbian  folk-tale,  230 

ANIMALS'  LANGUAGE.  A  Serbian 
folk-tale  dealing  with,  230-235 

ANJOU,  CHARLES  OF.  Prince 
Ourosh  maintains  friendly  re- 
lations with  French  Court  of, 
119 

ANTIVARI.  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch  in- 
vites all  heroes  in  the  province 
of,  to  his  son's  wedding,  139 

APOSTLES.  The  Greek  priests  and 
monks  prepare  the  ground  for 
the  great  Slav,  29  ;  Cyrillos  and 
Methodius,  the  two  Slav,  29 

APPLE.  The,  a  symbolic  gift, 
which  a  Serbian  wooer  offers  to 
the  maiden  of  his  choice,  245 

f  APPLE-TREE,  THE  GOLDEN." 
A  Serbian  folk-tale,  267-280 

ARBANASS.  Appellation  for 
Albanian,  108 

ARCHANGEL  MICHAEL.  Death  and, 
31  ;  Kolyivo  not  prepared  for, 

4i 
ATHOS,  MOUNT.    Vasso,  the  abbot 

of,   finds   Marko's   dead   body, 

118 
AUSTRIA.     War    between    Serbia 

and  Bulgaria  instigated  by,  u 

372 


AVAL  A.  A  mountain  by  Belgrade, 

177 
Azov,  SEA  OF.     Serbians  lived  to 

the  north-east  of,  i 


"BADGNAK."  The  oak  tree  used 
at  Christmas  by  the  Serbians,  47 

"  BADGNI  DAN."  Serbian  equi- 
valent for  Christmas  Eve,  46 

BAJAZET.  Son  of  Sultan  Amou- 
rath,  7 

BALCIUS.  Latinized  form  of 
Baux,  in  early  records,  119; 
name  changed  at  the  Court  at 
Naples  into  Balza,  119 

BALKAN  PENINSULA.  Incursion 
of  the  Serbians  into,  I 

BALKAN  TERRITORIES.  Kingdoms 
embraced  in,  i 

BALKAN  WAR.  Mrs.  C.  H. 
Farnam's  devotion  to  the 
wounded  during  the,  57,  58;  re- 
ference to  the  feats  of  arms 
performed  by  the  Serbians 
during  the,  1 7  5 

BALKANS.  Hero  tales  of  the, 
express  the  ideals  which  have 
inspired  the  Serbian  race,  12  ; 
explanation  of  the  decay  of  the 
ancient  aristocracy  throughout 
the,  14 

"BALKANS, THE  EMPRESS  OF  THE." 
Drama  by  King  Nicholas  I 
Petrovitch  of  Montenegro,  134 

BALLAD -s.  Serbian  bards  im- 
provise, to  record  deeds  of 
King  Nicholas  I  Petrovitch  of 
Montenegro,  120  ;  "  The  Mar- 
riage of  Maximus  Tzrnoyevitch" 
the  finest  and  most  famous 
Serbian,  1 34  ;  usual  ending  to 
ballads  by  Serbian  and  Monte- 
negrin bards,  1 84  ;  historical 
note  on  that  of  "  King  Vou- 
kashin's  Marriage,"  193,  194  ; 
observation  regarding  motif  of 
"  The  Captivity  and  Marriage 
of  Stephan  Kakshitch,"  194  ; 
"The  Saints  Divide  the 
Treasures,"  195-197  ;  three 
Serbian — (i)  "The  Building  of 
"  Skadar  "  (Scutari),  etc.,  198  ; 
(2)  "  The  Stepsisters,"  206  ; 
and  (3)  "The  Abduction  of 
the  Beautiful  Iconia,"  210 


Glossary  ^§f  Index 


BALSHITCH.  Nicholas  I  Petro- 
vitch,  King  of  Montenegro,  and 
an  indirect  descendant  out  of, 
1 20 

BALZA.  Italianized  form  of 
Balcius  (Baux),  119 

BAN.  The  original  title  of  the 
rulers  of  Bosnia,  6 

BAN  AT.  One  of  the  Serbian  pro- 
vinces in  Austria-Hungary 

BANOVITCH  STRAHINYA.  The  bal- 
lad relating  to,  one  of  the  finest 
composed  by  anonymous  bards 
of  Middle  Ages,  119  ;  historical 
data,  119,  120;  some  Serbian 
historians  believe  identical  with 
the  glorious  Strashimir  Bals- 
hitch-Nemanyitch,  119;  eulo- 
gized as  "a  falcon  without 
equal,"  120  ;  Dyogo  the  faithful 
steed  of,  120 ;  Caraman  the 
faithful  greyhound  of,  120  ; 
visits  Youg  Bogdan,  120-121 

BANYSKA  (Lord  of  Little).  Title 
by  which  a  dervish  hails 
Banovitch  Strahinya,  122 

BARDS,  (i)  Serbian.  Attention 
now  turned  to  the  exploits  of 
modern  heroes  at  Monastir, 
Koumanovo,  Perlep  (Prilip), 
Scutari  (Skadar),  etc.,  176; 
usual  ending  to  ballads  of,  1 84  ; 
word  '  book  '  invariably  used 
by  those  of  fourteenth  century 
when  speaking  of  a  letter,  1 86. 
(2)  Montenegrin.  Stereotyped 
ending  to  ballads  of,  1 84 

BASH  TCHELIK  (Real  Steel).  A 
Serbian  folk-tale,  247-267  ;  his 
promise  of  three  lives  to  the 
Prince,  and  his  abduction  of  his 
deliverer's  wife,  258-267 

BASIL  I,  EMPEROR.  The  second 
conversion  of  Southern  Slavs  to 
Christianity  was  effected  by,  28 

BATCHKA.  One  of  the  Serbian 
provinces  in  Austria-Hungary 

BAUX,  DES.  Strashimir  Balshitch- 
Nemanyitch  a  descendant  of 
the  old  Provengal  family  of, 
119  ;  in  early  records  the  name 
is  latinized  Balcius,  119;  sup- 
position that  the  Italianized 
Seigneurs  des  Baux,  who  married 
into  royal  house  of  Neman- 
yitch  and  who  settled  in  Serbian 
lands,  further  changed  their 


patronymic  to  Balsha  or 
Balshitch,  119 

BAUX,  HUGHES  DE.  A  French 
knight ;  reference  to,  33 

BAZAR,  RELYA  OF.  A  Serbian 
knight ;  Bogdan  the  Bully  and, 
87-89 

BEARDLESS.  A  name  used  as 
the  personification  of  craftiness 
and  sharpness,  applied  to  man 
in  Serbian  folk-tale  "  Lying  for 
a  Wager,"  283 

BEATA  MARIA.  St.  Elias  inquires 
the  reason  of  her  great  grief, 
195  ;  St.  Elias  comforts,  196 

BEDEVIA.  The  Moorish  chief- 
tain's mare,  79  ;  Sharatz  and, 
79,  80,  8 1  ;  Bogdan  the  Bully's 
mare,  87  ;  name  of  mare  given 
by  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch  to  Milosh 
Obrenbegovitch,  141  ;  Volvode 
Balatchko's  mare,  168 

BELGRADE.  Reference  to  the 
triumphal  return  of  the  Serbian 
army  to,  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  Balkan  campaigns,  1912-13, 
176;  a  veela  warns  Stephan  and 
Demitrius  Yakshitch  of  the 
intention  of  the  Turks  to  assail, 
177  ;  Stephan  Yakshitch  and 
Haykoona  escape  to,  183 

BELIEFS.  Superstitions  of  Ser- 
.bians,  and  national  customs, 

13-53 

BERLIN.  Famous  Treaty  of,  ac- 
knowledged the  independence 
of  Serbia  during  rule  of  Milan, 
ip,  ii  ;  mention  of  a  Veele 
ring  in  Treaty  of,  17 

BERTRANDON  DE  LA  BROQUIERB, 
CHEVALIER.  Told  in  1433  that 
Trajanople  had  been  built  by 
the  Emperor  Trajan,  27 

BIND.  Illyrian  god ;  a  reminder 
of,  in  the  tradition  regarding 
Prince  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch,  25 

"  BIRD  MAIDEN,  THE."  A  Serbian 
folk -tale,  280-283 

"  BITER  BIT,  THE."  A  Serbian 
folk-tale,  328-340  ;  the  hun- 
dred daughters  in,  330 ;  the 
wedding  procession,  333  ;  the 
Black  Giant  in,  334  ;  the  old 
woman  meets  the  old  man  in  a 
forest  by  the  river  Luckless, 
336 ;  the  Black  Giant  buys 
the  cow,  339 

373 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


BLIND.  In  Serbian  Hungary  there 
are  schools  for,  in  which  national 
ballads  are  taught,  55,  56 

"BocHTCHALUKS."  Serbian  equi- 
valent for  wedding  presents,  32 

BODIN,  KING.  Son  of  Michaylo  ; 
obtains  title  from  Pope 
Gregory  VII,  3  ;  restores  the 
Serbia  of  Tchaslav,  and  adds 
Bosnia  to  his  State,  3 

BOGDAN  THE  BULLY.  Marko  and, 
87-89 

BOGDAN,  YOUG.  Aged  father-in- 
law  of  Banovitch,  120,  121  ; 
castle  in  Kroushevatz  the  resi- 
dence of,  1 20 ;  one  of  his 
sons-in-law  a  direct  descendant 
of  King  Nemanya,  120  ;  Stra- 
hinya  returns  to,  after  his 
slaying  of  Vlah-Ali,  128 

BOGOUMILS.  Protestants  of  the 
Greek  Orthodox  Church  who 
settled  in  Bosnia,  4 

"BojiTCH."  Equivalent,  "the 
little  God."  The  Christmas 
Day  church  service,  49 

BOSHKO  YOUGOVITCH.  One  of 
Tsarina  Militza's  nine  brothers, 
170  ;  refuses  to  remain  with 
her  while  Tsar  Lazarus  departs 
to  battlefield  of  Kossovo,  171 

BOSHNYAKS.  Serbians  inhabiting 
Bosnia;  considered  to  be  the 
most  typical  Serbians,  13 

BOSNIA.  King  Bodin  adds  to  his 
State,  3 ;  Ban  Koulin  placed 
on  the  throne  of,  4  ;  Stevan 
Tomashevitch  king  of,  8  ;  sub- 
jugation of,  complete  by  1463, 
8  ;  the  Padishah  offers  to 
make  Stephan  Yakshitch  Grand 
Vizier  of,  if  he  will  renounce 
the  Holy  Cross,  179 

BOSNIA  AND  HERZEGOVINA.  One 
of  the  kingdoms  in  the  Balkan 
territories,  i  ;  Serbian  calamity 
on  Kossovo  due  mainly  to  the 
disobedience  of  the  Serbian 
lords  who  ruled  over,  175 

BOWRING,  SIR  JOHN.  Quotations 
of  three  poems  from  his  Servian 
Popular  Poetry,  198-212 

BOYANA.  River  on  which  Ska- 
dar's fortress  stands,  186,  198 

BRANKOVITCH,  DYOURADY. 
Nephew  of  Vook  Brankovitch, 
7  ;  reference  to  death  of,  8 

374 


BRANKOVITCH,  VOOK  (Wolf).  The 
treachery  of,  against  Knez 
Lazar,  7  ;  his  death,  7  ;  Tsarina 
Militza  and  death  of,  173  ; 
responsibility  for  great  calamity 
to  the  Serbian  army  on 
Kossovo  assigned  by  bards  to, 

174 

BREGALNITZA.  Reference  to,  as  a 
set-off  to  Slivnitza,  176 

BREGOVO.  Town  of  ;  Marko  and 
Milosh  at,  105 

BRIDE.  The  custom  with  the 
Serbians  for  one  of  her  brothers 
to  present  the  bride  to  her 
wooer,  248 

BULGARIA.  A  province  of  Serbia 
under  Stevan  Detchanski,  5  ; 
war  against,  by  Serbia,  1 1  ; 
Shishman  king  of,  94 

BULGARS.  Serbians  an  easy  prey 
to  attacks  of,  2 

BULLY,  THE.  Alternative  for 
Bogdan,  87-89 ;  Albanian  equi- 
valent, Kessedjiya,  108  ;  his 
death  on  the  top  of  Katchanik 
mountain,  114 

BYZANTINES.  Serbians  an  easy 
prey  to  attack  of,  2  ;  Chris- 
tianity deeply  rooted  in  the,  14  ; 
Peroon,  the  Russian  God  of 
Thunder.concluded  with  the,  1 5 

BYZANTINE  EMPIRE.  Incorporates 
Bulgaria  and  overpowers 
Rashka,  3  ;  Doushan  the 
Powerful  subdues  almost  the 
whole  of  the,  5  ;  Prince  Ourosh 
endeavours  to  negotiate  an 
alliance  between  Serbs  and 
French  for  overthrow  of,  119 


CARAMAN.  The  greyhound  of 
Banovitch,  120,  121  ;  assists 
Banovitch  against  Vlah-Ali, 
127 

CARPET,  THE  MAGIC.  Described 
in  the  Serbian  folk-tale  "  Ani- 
mals as  Friends  and  Enemies," 

309-313 

CHARLES  OF  ANJOU.  Prince 
Ourosh  through  his  wife  Helen, 
a  French  princess,  maintains 
friendly  relations  with  French 
Court  of,  119 


Glossary  SP  Index 


CHRIST.  Teachings  of ;  trans- 
lated into  Serb  language  by 
Cyrillos  and  Methodius,  2 

CHRISTIANITY.  Conversion  of 
pagan  Serbian  tribes  to,  I  ; 
Paganism  and,  of  Southern- 
Slavonic  races,  14-53;  as  early  as 
the  eleventh  century  a  number 
of  Croatians  converted  to,  14; 
the  new,  sapped  in  Russia  by 
the  Enchanters,  24  ;  indicated 
by  the  Cross,  26  ;  the  spread  of, 
28-32  ;  Moravians  converted 
to,  29  ;  superstition  stronger  in 
the  Balkans  than,  30 

CHRISTIANS.  Reference  to  cam- 
paigns between  Turks  and  the, 
6  ;  miseries  of,  under  Turkish 
rule,  8,  9  ;  evil  spirits  and,  19  ; 
Prince  Maximus  and  Yovan 
Obrenbegovitch  to  be  used  in 
service  against,  149  ;  historical 
note  re  the  cunning  efforts  of 
Ottoman  statesmen  to  seduce 
malcontents  from  their  allegi- 
ance to  their  rightful  lords,  184, 

185 

CHRISTMAS.  Serbian  customs  at, 
46-51 

CHURCH.  The  Greek  Christian, 
to  which  all  Serbians,  including 
the  natives  of  Montenegro, 
Macedonia,  etc.,  belong,  30  ; 
reference  to  the,  in  the  Serbian 
ballad  "  The  Saints  Divide  the 
Treasures,"  197 

CINDERELLA.  See  Pepelyouga 
and  Marra,  226-229 

COCK,  THE.  Retort  of,  regarding 
the  man  who  had  been  granted 
the  gift  of  animals'  language,  235 

CONSTANTINOPLE.  Vanquished  by 
crusaders,  4  ;  dead  bodies  burnt 
during  siege  of,  25  ;  Cyrillos  a 
professor  of  philosophy  in  Uni- 
versity of  the  Imperial  Palace 
of,  29 ;  Turkish  alternative 
Istamboul,  72 

COURTENAY,  HOUSE  DE.  Helen, 
wife  of  Ourosh,  a  French  prin- 
cess of  the,  1 1 9 

Cow.  The  Black  Giant  buys 
the  ;  described  in  the  Serbian 
folk-tale  "  The  Biter  Bit,"  339 

CROATIA.  One  of  the  provinces 
in  Austria-Hungary,  I 

CROATIANS.     A  number  of,  con- 


verted to  Christianity  as  early 
as  the  eleventh  century,  14 

CROSS,  THE.  Indicates  the  pre- 
sence of  Christianity,  26  ;  the 
Slava  and  the  sign  of,  42, 
44 ;  Christmas  customs  and 
the  sign  of,  47,  48 ;  Boshko 
Yougovitch's  devotion  to,  171  ; 
Stephan  Yakshitch's  devotion 
to,  179  ;  St.  John  chooses,  196  ; 
Christians  of  the  Balkans  and 
the  sign  of,  before  and  after 
every  meal,  237  ;  the  Serbians 
when  greatly  surprised  at  any- 
thing, involuntarily  make  the 
sign  of,  366 

CURSE  OF  CHRISTENDOM.  Marko 
takes  steps  to  avoid  the,  117 

CUSTOMS,  NATIONAL.  The  chief 
of  the  Serbians,  31-53;  mar- 
riage, 32-40  ;  Slava  (or  Krsno 
I  me),  40-49 

CUSTOMS,  SERBIAN.  Superstitious 
beliefs  and,  13-53  ;  a  brother 
to  present  a  bride  to  her  wooer, 
248 

CYRILLOS.  Methodius  and,  the 
so-called  Slavonic  apostles  who 
translated  the  teaching  of 
Christ  into  the  ancient  Slav 
language,  2,  29 


DAEDALUS.  Confused  in  Serbian 
legends  with  Emperor  Trajan, 
27 

DALMATIANS.  Sea  -going  men 
who  pray  only  to  St.  Nicholas, 

5i 

TRANCE  RINGS  (Vrzino  kollo).  The 
Veele  and  their,  1 7  ;  one  on 
Mount  Kom  in  Montenegro 
—  -called  Vilino  Kollo,  17 

DANITZA.  The  morning  star  ;  its 
appearance  puts  Zmay  of  Yas- 
trebatz  to  flight,  1 30  ;  reference 
to,  in  "  The  Captivity  and 
Marriage  of  Stephan  Yak- 
shitch,"  177 

DANUBE.  Allusion  to  Sharatz's 
swim  across  the,  91  ;  Marko 
drowns  part  of  Voutcha's  army 
in,  92 

DAUGHTERS.  The  hundred,  in  the 
Serbian  folk-tale  "  The  Biter 
Bit,"  330 

375 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


DAYBOG  (The  Sun  God).  Russian 
equivalent,  Daszbog — literally 
"Give,  O  God!"  16;  to  the 
Serbians  the  personification  of 
sunshine,  life  and  prosperity, 
1 6  ;  remains  of  idols  represent- 
ing, among  Southern-Slavonic 
nations,  16;  Christmas  festi- 
vities and,  49 

DEAD.  Festival  in  honour  of, 
during  Lent,  52 

DEATH.  The  Archangel  Michael 
and,  31 

"  DEEDS,  GOOD,  NEVER  PERISH." 
The  Serbian  folk-tale,  291-299 

DESSIMIR.  King Vukashin's  trusty 
servant,  199 

"  DEVER."  The  leader  of  the 
Serbian  bride,  35 

DEVIL-S  (dyavo).  Considered  as 
pagan  gods,  19 

DIASCEVASTES.  The  learned,  of 
Pisistrate's  epoch,  54 

DIOCLETIAN,  EMPEROR.  Refer- 
ences in  Southern  -  Slavonic 
legends  to,  27 

•'  DIVAN."  Means,  in  Serbian,  any 
State  gathering.  As  used  in 
the  Serbian  ballad  "  The  Saints 
Divide  the  Treasures  "  it  means 
the  Supreme  Judgment,  195 

DJELAT  (executioner).  Stephan 
Yakshitch  threatened  with  the, 
1 80 

DOBRIVOY.  Servant  of  Theodore 
of  Stalatch,  211 

"  DODA  or  DODOLA."  The  rite 
connected  with  the  favourite 
goddess  of  Rain,  51,  52 

DON,  THE  RIVER.  Serbians  lived 
on  banks  of,  i 

DOURMITOR.     The  mountain,  186 

DOUSHAN  THE  POWERFUL 

(MIGHTY).  Dethrones  his 
father  Stevan  Detchanski,  5  ; 
vampires  and  the  Code  of, 
21,  22,  24;  Voukashin's  bad 
faith  toward,  61  ;  attended  by 
Archdeacon  Nedelyko  till 
death,  66 ;  the  marriage  of, 
1 50-1 69 ;  sends  Theodor,  Coun- 
cillor of  State,  to  King  Michael 
of  Ledyen,  1 50  ;  sues  for  the 
hand  of  Princess  Roksanda, 
i  50,  151  ;  the  two  Voi'novitchs, 
Voukashin  and  Petrashin, 
nephews  of,  151  ;  Milosh-the- 


Shepherd  joins  the  wedding 
procession  of,  153,  154;  the 
four  tests  undertaken  by  Milosh- 
the-Shepherd  on  behalf  of,  in 
order  to  win  the  Princess 
Roksanda,  160-166;  reference 
to  the  wresting  of  the  Empire 
from  the  Turk  by  the  Serb, 
until  it  is  in  extent  almost 
equivalent  to  Empire  under,  176 

DRAGOMIR,  Djoupan  of  Trebinye, 
father  of  Stephen  Voislav,  3 

DRAGOUTIN.  Son  of  Ourosh  the 
Great;  deposes  his  father  and 
becomes  king  of  Serbia,  4  ; 
retires  in  favour  of  his  brother 
Miloutin,  4;  assumes  title  of 
King  of  Sirmia,  5  ;  yields  his 
throne  to  Miloutin,  5 

•'  DREAM  OF  THE  KING'S  SON, 
THE."  A  Serbian  folk -tale, 
322-328 

DUCADYIN,  PLAIN  OF.  Given  as 
fief  to  Mehmed-Bey  Obren- 
begovitch,  149 

DULZIGNO.  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch 
invites  all  heroes  in  province  of, 
to  his  son's  wedding,  134,  139 

DYAKOVITZA.  Voutche  of,  admires 
Koulash  the  steed  of  Milosh- 
the-Shepherd,  157 

"  DYAVO."     See  Devils. 

DYOGO.  Faithful  steed  of  Bano- 
vitch,  1 20,  121,  122  ;  enables 
Banovitch  to  escape  Vlah-Ali's 
spear,  126 


EARTH.  The  Saints  divide  the 
treasures  of,  195-197 

ELI  AS,  ST.  (Elijah).  Serbian 
peasants  believe  that  the  god 
Peroon  still  lives  in  person  of, 
1 5  ;  Kolyivo  not  prepared  for, 
41  ;  mention  of,  in  Serbian 
ballad  "  The  Saints  Divide  the 
Treasures,"  195,  196  ;  lightning 
and  thunder  chosen  By,  1 96 

ENCHANTERS  (tcharobnitzi).  Cele- 
brants of  the  various  pagan 
rites,  24 

ENEMIES.  "  Animals  as  Friends 
and,"  a  Serbian  folk-tale,  305- 
316 

ERA.  The  name  given  to  the 
peasants  of  the  district  of 


376 


Glossary  ^f  Index 


Ouzitze  (Western  Serbia) ;  they 
are  supposed  to  be  very  witty 
and  shrewd,  and  might  be 
called  the  Irishmen  of  Serbia, 
364  ;  "  The  Era  from  the  Other 
World,"  a  Serbian  popular 
anecdote,  364-366 
EUROPE.  The  Turk  almost  driven 
from,  during  the  golden  rule  of 
King  Peter  I,  1 1 


FALCON,  THE.  Banovitch  eulo- 
gized as,  "  without  equal,"  120 

FARNAM,  MRS.  C.  H.  Her  interest 
in  Vouk's  book  of  Serbian 
national  poems,  57,  58 

FEAST.     The  Slava,  45,  46 

FOLK-LORE.  Tales  of  Serbian, 
213-328  ;  "  The  Ram  with  the 
Golden  Fleece,"  213-220  ;  "  A 
Pavilion  neither  in  the  Sky  nor 
on  the  Earth,"  220-224  ;  "  Pe- 
pelyouga,"224-230;  "Animals' 
Language,"  230-235  ;  "  Tho 
Stepmother  and  her  Step- 
daughter," 235-240  ;  "  Justice 
and  Injustice,"  240-243  ;  "  He 
who  asks  Little  receives  Much," 
243-247  ;  "  Bash  Tchelik  " 
(Real  Steel),  247-267  ;  "  The 
Golden  Apple-tree  and  the 
Nine  Pea-hens,"  267-280 ;  "The 
Bird  Maiden,"  280-283  ; 
"  Lying  for  a  Wager,"  283-287  ; 
"The  Maiden  Wiser  than  the 
Tsar,"  287-291  ;  "  Good  Deeds 
never  Perish,"  291-299  ;  "  He 
whom  God  helps  no  one  can 
harm,"  300-305,  etc.  ;  "Ani- 
mals as  Friends  and  Enemies," 
305-316;  "  The  Three  Suitors," 
316-322  ;  "The  Dream  of  the 
King's  Son,"  322-328  ;  "  The 
Biter  Bit,"  328-340;  "The 
Trade  that  no  one  Knows," 
340-353;  "The  Golden -haired 
Twins,"  353-361 

FRANCS.  Serbians  an  easy  prey 
to  attacks  of,  2 

FRENCH.  Princess  ;  Helen  wife 
of  Ourosh  a,  119;  Court  of 
Charles  of  Anjou  and  Prince 
Ourosh,  119;  Ourosh  nego- 
tiates an  alliance  between  Serbs 
and  the,  119 


FRIENDS.  "  Animals  as  Enemies 
and,"  a  Serbian  folk-tale,  305- 
316 

FUNERAL  CUSTOMS.  Description 
of,  among  Slavs,  Serbians,  etc., 


G ALICIA.       Serbians   lived    as    a 

patriarchal  people  in  country 

now  known  as,  i 
GEORGE'S    DAY,    ST.        Serbian 

equivalent,     Dyourdyev     Dan. 

Strange  sorceries  practised  on, 

53 

GIANTS.  Serbian  equivalent, 
Djins  :  Turkish  equivalent, 
Div.  Those  in  Bulgarian, 
Croatian,  etc.,  mythology,  we 
owe  to  the  cycle  of  mediae- 
val myths,  27  ;  the  nine,  in 
the  Serbian  folk-tale  "Bash 
Tchelik,"  247,  252,  253,  254, 
255;  the  Black,  in  the  Serbian 
folk-tale  "  The  Biter  Bit,"  328  ; 
the,  in  the  Serbian  folk-tale 
"  The  Trade  that  no  one 
Knows,"  345 

GIPSIES.  Serbian  equivalent, 
Tzigans,  363  ;  "  The  Nobleman 
and  the,"  a  Serbian  popular 
anecdote,  363  ;  stealing  and 
selling  horses  their  main  occu- 
pation, 363 

GOD.  The  Veele  believed  in,  and 
St.  John,  17  ;  Keys  of  the 
Heavens  given  to  the  Saints  by, 
196  ;  the  wrath  of,  197  ;  "  He 
whom  God  helps  no  one  can 
harm,"  a  Serbian  folk- tale,  300- 
305,  etc. 

GOD-S.  Peroon,  the  God  of 
Thunder,  1 5  ;  Volos,  the  God 
of  Cattle,  1 5  ;  Daybog,  the  Sun 
god,  15,  1 6 

GOETHE.  One  of  Vouk's  national 
ballads  was  translated  by,  55 

GOLETCH.  The  mountain  of, 
the  dervish  declares  he  would 
recognize  Banovitch  Strahinya 
even  on  top  of,  122  ;  Banovitch 
rides  to  Mount,  124 

GOIKO.  Youngest  of  three  brothers 
who  built  Skadar  (Scutari),  198  ; 
his  young  wife  immured  in  the 
foundation  of  Skadar,  198-205 

377 


Tales  ^P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


GOLOUBAN.  Tsar  Lazarus'  ser- 
vant who  succours  Tsarina 
Militza,  172 

"Gooo  DEEDS  NEVER  PERISH." 
A  Serbian  folk-tale,  291-299 

GOOSLAR.  A  Serbian  national 
bard,  50,  63 

"  GORSKY         VlYENATZ  "  (The 

Mountain  Wreath).  The 

masterpiece  of  the  Serbian 
poet  Peter  Petrovitch,  56  ; 
mention  of  the  goussle  in,  56 

GOSPEL.  The  Slavonic  translation 
of,  applies  name  tcharobnitzi 
to  the  three  Holy  Kings,  24  ; 
Cyrillos  translates  the,  29 

"  GOUSSLE."  A  primitive  instru- 
ment with  a  single  string, 
found  in  every  Serbian  home, 
56 ;  used  during  Balkans  - 
Turkish  War,  1912-13,  in  recit- 
ing poems  relating  to  Marko,  63 

GOYKO,  VOIVODE.  Inheritance  of 
the  Empire  disputed  by,  65-71 

GREAT  POWERS,  THE.  King 
Nicholas  I  Petrovitch  of  Monte- 
negro obliged  to  evacuate  Ska- 
dar by,  120 

GREEKS,  THE.  Driven  by  the 
Serbians  toward  the  Adriatic 
coast,  i 

GREEK  NYMPHS.  The  Veele  com- 
pared with,  17 

GREGORY  VII,  POPE.  Bestows 
title  of  King  upon  Michaylo,  3 

GUNS.  Krgno  and  Zelenko,  Ivan 
Tzrnoyevitch's  two  famous,  1 40 


H 


"HADJIS."  Turkish  equivalent 
for  pilgrims,  108 

"  HAIDOOKS."  Knight -brigands  ; 
exploits  of,  sung  by  professional 
bards,  55 

HAYKOONA.  Daughter  of  the 
vizier  of  Novi  Bazar,  1 80  ; 
Stephan  Yakshitch  declines  the 
'  water  of  oblivion  '  offered 
by,  181,  182;  confesses  her  real 
love  for  Stephan  Yakshitch 
and  enables  him  to  escape,  182, 
183 

HEAVEN-S.  The  Saints  divide 
the  treasures  of,  195-197  ;  the 
keys  of,  given  by  God  to  the 


Saints,    196;    the   Saints  lock 
the  Seven,  197 

HELEN.  A  French  princess  of 
the  house  of  Courtenay,  wife  of 
Prince  Ourosh,  119 

HELEN,  QUEEN.  Serbian  alterna- 
tive, Yevrossima  (Euphrosyne) ; 
mother  of  the  Royal  Prince 
Marko,  59 

HERACLIUS,  EMPEROR.  Cedes 
provinces  to  the  Serbians,  I  ; 
Serbians  first  adopt  Christian 
faith  during  reign  of,  28 

HEROES.  Attention  of  Serbian 
bards  now  turned  to  exploits 
of  modern,  at  Monastir,  Kou- 
manovo,  Perlep  (Prilip),  Scutari 
(Skadar),  etc.,  176 

HERZEGOVINA.  Subjugation  com- 
plete by  1482,  8  ;  King  Vouka- 
shin  dispatches  book  (letter)  to, 
186 

HISTORICAL  NOTE.  On  "  Tsar 
Lazarus  and  the  Tsarina 
Militza,"  174-176;  On  "The 
Captivity  and  Marriage  of 
Stephan  Yakshitch,"  184,  185  ; 
on  "  The  Marriage  of  King 
Voukashin,"  193,  194 

HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT.  Of 
the  Serbians,  1-12 

"  HOD j AS."  Turkish  equivalent 
for  priest,  108,  179 

HOMER.     Reference  to,  54 

HOOSSEIN.  The  trusty  servant  of 
the  vizier  of  Novi  Bazar,  180 

KOREA  MARGI.  Capital  of  the 
state  which  the  Serbians  failed 
to  form  in  ninth  century,  2 

HORSE-S.  Sharatz,  Prince  Marko's 
wonderful,  17,  57,  61-65,  68, 
69,  76  ;  Koulash,  the  steed  of 
Prince  Voinovitch,  154,  155, 
157-159;  Bedevia,  name  of 
the  Moorish  chieftain's,  79-81  ; 
Dyogo,  the  name  of  the  faithful 
steed  of  Banovitch,  120,  121, 
122,  126;  Bedevia,  name  of 
Milosh  Obrenbegovitch's,  141  ; 
Zdral,  name  of  Ivan  Tzrnoye- 
vitch's steed,  135,  140,  142  ; 
Bedevia,  name  of  Voivode 
Balatchko's,  168  ;  the  old 
woman  and  her,  in  the  Serbian 
folk-tale  "  The  Golden  Apple- 
tree  and  the  Nine  Pea-hens," 
276-280 ;  the  golden,  in  the 


378 


Glossary  ^f  Index 


Serbian  folk-tale  "  The  Dream 
of  the  King's  Son,"  325-328  a 

HUMAN  SACRIFICES.  Legends 
regarding,  among  Russians, 
Slavs,  Serbians,  etc.,  25  ^  j 

HUNGARY.  Thousands  of  Serbian 
families  emigrate  to,  through 
tyrannous  Turkish  rule,  8 

HUNTSMEN.  Prince  Marko  and 
the  Turkish,  105-108 


I 


"  ICH,  ITCH,  or  Ic."  The  charac- 
teristic termination  of  most 
Serbian  family  names,  119 

ICONIA.  Daughter  of  Prince 
Miloutin  ;  Theodore  of  Stalatch 
abducts,  210-212  ;  betrothed 
to  George  Irene,  for  Sredoi, 
211 

"  ICONIA,  THE  ABDUCTION  OF 
THE  BEAUTIFUL."  A  Serbian 
national  ballad  from  Sir  John 
Bowling's  Servian  Popular 
Poetry,  210-212 

II.IAD.     Reference  to,  54 

ILLYRIANS,  THE.  Driven  by  Ser- 
bians toward  Adriatic  coast,  i 

IMMORTALITY.  Serbians  believe 
in  Predestination  and,  18 

INDIA.  Beata  Maria  relates  to 
St.  Elias  her  recent  arrival 
from,  195. 

IRENE,  GEORGE.  Iconia  betrothed 
to,  for  Sredoi,  211 

IRISHMEN.  Of  Serbia  ;  the  pea- 
sants of  the  district  of  Ouzitze 
(Western  Serbia)  might  be 
termed  the,  364 

ISLAM.  Remnant  of  Serbians 
under  Turkish  rule  forced  to 
embrace,  8  ;  Maximus  Tzrno- 
yevitch  threatens  to  embrace, 
149 ;  Stephan  Yakshitch  de- 
clines to  embrace  faith  of,  1 8 1 , 
182 

ISSAYA.  The  deacon  of  Abbot 
Vasso,  118 

ISTAMBOUL.  Turkish  equivalent 
for  Constantinople,  72  ;  Moorish 
chieftain  demands  daughter  of 
Sultan  at,  72-81  ;  Moussa 
Kessedjiya  at,  108 ;  Prince 
Maximus  threatens  to  go  to,  in 
order  to  embrace  Islam,  149 


ISTRIA.  One  of  the  provinces  in 
Austria-Hungary,  i 

IVANBEGOVITCH,   SCANDER-BEG. 

Turkish  alternative  for  Prince 
Maximus  Tzrnoyevitch,  149 

IVAN  KOSANTCHITCH.  SeeKosan- 
tchitch. 

IVAN  TZRNOYEVITCH  (see  Tzrno- 
yevitch). Tradition  regarding 
the  river  of  Tzrnoyevitch  and, 
24,25 


JHESU,  LORD.  Stephan  Yakshitch 
prefers  to  lose  his  life  for  the 
sake  of,  rather  than  become  a 
Turk,  1 8p  ;  Stephan  Yakshitch 
plights  his  troth  to  Haykoona 
in  the  name  of,  183 

JOHN,  ST.  The  Veele  believed  in, 
17  ;  the  princess  appeals  to 
Prince  Marko  in  name  of, 
75»  76  ;  the  veela  Raviyoyla 
appeals  to  Marko  by  memory 
of,  104;  mention  of,  in  Serbian 
ballad  "  The  Saints  Divide  the 
Treasures,"  195  ;  brotherhood 
and  koomhood  as  well  as  the 
Holy  Cross,  chosen  by,  196 

"  JUSTICE  AND  INJUSTICE."  A 
Serbian  folk-tale,  240-243 


K 


KADI.  Equivalent,  Ottoman 
judge,  179 

"  KAMI  "  (or  bileg).  Term  applied 
in  Middle  Ages  to  gravestones 
still  found  in  large  numbers  in 
Herzegovina,  Dalmatia,  etc., 
now  known  as  stetyak  or 
mramor,  26,  27 

KARADGITCH,  VOUK  STEPHANO- 
VITCH.  See  Vouk  Stephano- 
vitch  Karadgitch 

KARAGEORGEVITCH,  ALEXANDER. 
Son  of  Karageorge  Petrovitch, 
10 

KARAVALLAHIAN  LAND.  Milosh- 
the-Shepherd  instructed  to  de- 
clare that  he  hails  from  the,  1 5  5 

KASTRIOTOVITCH-  SKANDERXJ3EG, 
GEORGE.  An  Albanian  chief 
who  fought  successfully  for  t 
liberty  of  Albania,  8 

379 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


KATCHANJK.  A  defile  up  which 
Prince  Marko  rides  to  meet 
Moussa,  112;  Moussa  the 
Bully's  death  on  mountain  of, 
114 

"  KESSEDJIYA."  Equivalent, 

fighter  or  bully.  The  nickname 
of  an  Albanian  chevalier- 
brigand,  Moussa,  who  rebelled 
against  the  Sultan,  108 

KEYS.  The,  of  the  Heavenly 
Empire,  chosen  by  St.  Peter, 
196  ;  the  Keys  of  the  Heavens 
given  by  God  to  the  Saints,  1 96 

KEYSTUT.  Brother  of  the  Grand 
Duke  Olgerd  ;  his  interment 
the  last  recorded  instance  of  a 
pagan  burial,  26 

KLISSOURA.  The  wedding  pro- 
cession of  Tsar  Doushan  reaches, 
157  ;  the  fight  for  Koulash  at, 
158,  159 

KNEZ.  The  title  corresponding  to 
"  Prince,"  6 

"  KOLATCH."  A  special  cake  eaten 
on  Saints'  days,  41 

"  KOLLO."  The  Serbian  national 
dances,  40,  52 

KOLLO,  VRZINO.  Name  applied  to 
the  Veele  rings,  17 

"  KOLYIVO."  Lit.  something 
which  has  been  killed  with  the 
knife  ;  the  Slava  cake,  41 

"  KOOM."  The  principal  witness 
at  Serbian  weddings,  3  5  ;  Beata 
Maria  complains  of  a  brother 
koom  bearing  false  witness 
against,  196 

KOOPINOVO.  A  village  on  plain 
of  Sirmia,  in  wrhich  Zmay- 
Despot  Vook  lived,  1 30 

KOSANTCHITCH,  IVAN.  General 
Voutcha  and,  89-94 

Kossovo.  Vouk's  national  poems 
dwell  on  the  glory  of  the 
Serbian  mediaeval  Empire,  lost 
on  fatal  field  of,  55  ;  four 
tabors  meet  on  field  of,  disput- 
ing over  the  inheritance  of  the 
Empire,  65  ;  the  Sultana's 
dream  concerning,  74  ;  Marko 
and  the  maiden  from,  82-86  . 
Marko,  Relya,  and  Milosh  ride' 
out  from,  87  ;  Banovitch  hears 
of  encampment  of  hordes  of 
Turks  on  field  of,  120  ;  Bano- 
vitch seeks  and  attacks  the 

380 


Turks  on  field  of,  120-128  ; 
Tsar  Doushan's  wedding  pro- 
cession rides  through  field  of, 
152;  Milosh  takes  farewell  of 
Tsar  Doushan  in  middle  of 
plain  of,  1 68  ;  Tsar  Lazarus 
does  battle  on  field  of,  170-172  ; 
death  of  Tsar  Lazarus  on  field 
of,  172-174  ;  historical  note  on 
battle  of,  174-176;  historical 
note  re  Ottoman  influence  upon 
the  peasantry  in  Bosnia  and 
Herzegovina  at  the  time  (1389) 
of  the  battle  of,  184,  185 

KOULASH.  Steed  of  Petroshin 
Vomovitch,  ridden  by  Milosh  - 
the-Shepherd  to  join  wedding 
procession  of  Tsar  Doushan, 
1 54.  1 55  ;  the  wonderful  leap  of, 
admired  by  Voutche  of  Dyako- 
vitza,  Yanko  of  Nestopolye 
and  others,  156,  157;  the  fight 
for,  at  Klissoura,  157,  158,  159 

KOULIN,  BAN.  Placed  on  throne 
of  Bosnia,  4 

KOUMANOVO.  Famous  battlefield 
on  which  in  1913  more  Turks 
perished  than  did  Serbians  five 
centuries  ago,  175  ;  reference 
to,  as  a  set-off  to  Kossovo, 
176 

"  KRALY."  Serbian  equivalent 
for  king,  198 

"  KRGNo"and"ZELENKO."  Ivan 
Tzrnoyevitch's  two  famous 
guns,  140 

KROUSHEVATZ.  I.  Castle  in,  the 
residence  of  Youg  Bogdan,  120  ; 
II.  Castle  in,  the  residence  of 
Tsar  Lazar,  129  ;  Tsar  Lazar 
beseeches  Zmay-Despot  Vook  to 
come  to,  131  ;  III.  The  capital 
of  the  vast  Serbian  Empire 
.  during  the  reign  of  Tsar  Hrebe- 
lianovitch  at  time  of  famous 
battle  of  Kossovo  (A.D.  1389), 
171  ;  Bosko  Yougovitch  de- 
clares he  would  not  forgo  battle 
of  Kossovo  for  the  price  of, 
171 

KROUSHEVO.  A  plain,  over  which 
Zmay  of  Yastrebatz  flies  toward 
the  Tsarina's  tower,  1 30 ;  Zmay- 
Despot  Vook  reaches,  131 

KUSTANDIL.  Veele  ring  between 
Vranya  and,  mentioned  in  the 
Treaty  of  Berlin,  17 


Glossary  &  Index 


LALE.  The  popular  appellation 
of  Serbians  living  in  Batchka 
and  Banat,  1 56 

LANGUAGE,  ANIMALS'.  A  Serbian 
folk-tale  dealing  with,  230-235 

LATINS,  THE.  Driven  by  Serbians 
toward  Adriatic  coast,  i 

LAZAR,  KNEZ.  Elected  ruler  of 
Serbia,  6  ;  makes  an  alliance 
with  Ban  Tvrtko  against  the 
Turks,  6,  7  ;  slain  by  Sultan 
Amourath,  7 

LAZAR  ,  TSAR .  The  Tsarina  Militza 
confesses  to  the  embraces  of 
her  magic  lover,  the  Zmay  of 
Yastrebatz,  129-133  ;  Zmay- 
Despot  Vook  in  the  wheatfields 
of,  131 

LAZARUS.  I.  Of  Bethany.  Poems 
recited  on  the  resurrection  of,  52. 
II.  Tsar.  The  Tsarina  Militza 
and,  170-176;  his  departure 
to  the  battlefield  of  Kossovo, 
170-172  ;  his  glorious  death, 
173,  174  ;  historical  note  re- 
garding, 174-176  ;  reference  to 
Empire  lost  by,  regained  under 
King  Peter  I,  176 

LEDYEN.  Tsar  Doushan  sends 
Theodor  to  King  Michael  of, 
1 50  ;  Milosh-the-Shepherd  pur- 
sues champion  of  the  Venetian 
king  to  gates  of,  162  ;  Milosh 
rides  to  perform  the  second  test 
in  the  meadow  of,  163  ;  Voi- 
vode  Balatchko  ordered  to 
fight  Milosh  by  the  king  of, 
167 

LEGENDS.  Influence  on  Southern- 
Slavonic  peoples,  of  Graeco- 
Oriental  and  Christian  myths 
and,  14  ;  influence  from  Greeks 
and  Romans  on  Southern- 
Slavonic,  27-30 

LOVE.  Lado,  oy,  Lado-deh,  refrain 
which  is  probably  the  name  of 
the  ancient  Slavonic  Deity  of 
Love,  52 

LOVE.  The,  of  sister  for  her 
brother  is  proverbial  in  Serbia, 
170 

LUCKLESS,  THE  RIVER.  Mention 
of,  in  the  Serbian  folk-tale  ' '  The 
Biter  Bit,"  336 


"  LYING  FOR  A  WAGER."    A  Ser- 
bian folk-tale,  283-287 


M 


MACEDONIA.  One  of  the  provinces 
in  the  Balkan  territories,  i 

MAGYAR-S.  Prince  Marko  and, 
92-94 

"  MAIDEN,  THE  BIRD-."  A  Serbian 
folk-tale,  280-283 

"  MAIDEN  WISER  THAN  THE  TSAR, 
THE."  A  Serbian  folk-tale, 
287-291 

MARKO,  KRAZYEVITCH.  Pro- 
claimed himself  King  of  the 
Serbians ;  eldest  son  of  King 
Voukashin,  6,  59  ;  aids  Turks 
against  the  Christians,  6  ;  killed 
in  battle  of  Rovina,  6 ;  en- 
dowed with  superhuman 
strength,  and  presented  with 
a  wonderful  courser,  Sharatz, 
by  a  veela,  17  ;  his  guests  on 
his  Slava  day,  45  ;  the  goussle 
and  exploits  of,  57  ;  Queen 
Helen-  mother  of,  59  ;  tradi- 
tional son  of  a  veela  and  a 
Zmay,  59  ;  the  most  beloved  of 
Serbian  Herpes,  59,  60  ;  virtues 

•  of,  59  ;  tradition  extols  him  as 
faithful  defender-  of  Prince 
Ourosh,  6 1  ;  Serbian  belief 
that  he  will  reappear  to  re- 
establish the  mediaeval  Empire, 
64 ;  his  supposed  appearance 
at  the  battle  of  Prilip  (1912), 
64,  65  ;  tells  whose  the  Empire 
shall  be,  65-71  ;  cursed  by  his 
father,  71  ;  the  Moor  and,  72- 
8 1  ;  the  Sultana's  dream  con- 
cerning, 74 ;  wedding  tax 
abolished  by,  82-86  ;  Bogdan 
the  Bully  and,  87-89  ;  General 
Voutcha  and,  89-94  ;  wedding 
procession  of,  94-100 ;  the 
Moorish  princess  and,  100-102  ; 
the  veela  Raviyoyla  and,  102- 
105 ;  the  Turkish  huntsmen 
and,  105-108  ;  Moussa  Kesse- 
djiya  and,  108-114  ;  his  death, 
115-118 

MARRA.  Alternative,  Pepel- 
youga  (Cinderella),  226-229 

MARRIAGE.  The  customs  obtain- 
ing at  Serbian,  32-40 

381 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


MASS,  THE  HOLY.  Mention  of,  in 
Serbian  ballad  "  The  Saints 
Divide  the  Treasures,"  196 

MAXIMUS  TZRNOYEVITCH.  See 
Tzrnoyevitch 

MEHMED.  Turkish  Grand  Vizier  ; 
Vlah-Ali  independent  of,  121 

METHODIUS.  Cyrillos  and,  the  so- 
called  Slavonic  apostles  who 
translated  the  teaching  of  Christ 
into  the  ancient  Slav  language, 
2,  29 

MICHAEL.  King  of  Ledyen, 
father  of  Princess  Roksanda  ; 
Tsar  Doushan  sues  for  the 
hand  of  Roksanda,  i  50  ;  Theo- 
dor  reports  to  the  Tsar  result 
of  his  mission  to  King  of 
Ledyen,  151,  152 

MICHAEL,  ARCHANGEL.  Death 
and,  31  ;  kolyivo  not  prepared 
for,  41 

MICHAYLO.  Son  of  Stephen 
Volslav  ;  obtains  title  of  King 
from  Pope  Gregory  VII,  3  ; 
King  Bodin  son  of,  3 

MICHEL  (Serbian  Mihaylo).  Son 
of  Milosh  Obrenovitch  ;  suc- 
ceeds his  father  as  prince  of 
Serbia,  10 

MICHEL  III,  EMPEROR.  Mission 
of  Cyrillos  and  Methodius  to,  29 

MIDDLE  AGES.  "  Banovitch  Stra- 
hinya,"  one  of  the  finest  ballads 
composed  anonymously  by  Ser- 
bian bards  during  the,  1 1 9 

MIJATOVITCH,  MADAME  C.  Refe- 
rence to  Serbian  Folk-lore,  by, 

305 

MILAN.  Succeeds  his  cousin 
Michel  as  prince  of  Serbia,  10  ; 
war  of  1876-8  against  Turkey 
by,  10 ;  acknowledgment  of 
Serbian  independence  by  Treaty 
of  Berlin  during  rule  of,  10  ; 
his  abdication,  n 

MILAN  OF  TOPLITZA.  General 
Voutcha  and,  89-94 

MILITCHEVITCH.  A  famous  Ser- 
bian ethnographist  relates  inci- 
dent re  a  resnik  (priest)  who 
read  prayers  out  of  the  apocry- 
pha of  Peroon,  22 

MILITZA,  TSARINA.  TheZmay  of 
Yastrebatz  and  the,  129-133  ; 
deceives  the  Zmay,  1 30 ;  recog- 
nizas  Zmay-Despot  Vook,  131; 


Tsar  Lazarus  and  the,  170-176  ; 
as  her  nine  brothers  Yougo- 
vitchs  are  to  accompany  Tsar 
Lazarus  to  battle  on  field  of 
Kossovo  she  pleads  for  one 
brother  to  be  left  behind  with 
her,  1 70  ;  her  brother  Boshko 
Yougovitch  refuses  to  remain 
behind,  171  ;  succoured  by 
Golouban,  172  ;  news  of  battle 
brought  by  two  ravens  to,  172, 
173  ;  death  of  Lazarus  and  her 
brothers  described  by  Miloutin, 

173.  I74 

MILOSH  OBILITCH.  The  Sultan 
Amourath  perishes  by  the  hand 
of,  7.  175 

MILOSH  OBRENBEGOVITCH,  Vo'i- 
VODE.  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch  in- 
vites to  be  the  stari-svat  in 
connexion  with  his  son's  wed- 
ding, 138-149;  Maximus  Tzr- 
noyevitch slays,  148  ;  Yovan 
Obrenbegovitch  brother  of,  149 

MILOSH  OBRENOVITCH.  Succeeds 
in  re-establishing  the  Belgrade 
pashalik,  10  ;  forced  to  abdi- 
cate, 10 ;  restored  by  the 
Skoupshtina,  10  ;  his  death, 
10  ;  Michel  son  of,  10 

MILOSH  OF  POTZERYE.  A  Serbian 
knight  ;  Bogdan  the  Bully  and, 
87-89  ;  General  Voutcha  and, 
89-94  ;  the  veela  Raviyoyla 
and,  102-105 

MILOSH-THE-SHEPHERD.  The 

mother  of  the  two  Volnovitchs 
counsels  them  to  send  for,  153  ; 
his  meeting  with  his  two 
brothers,  1 54  ;  joins  the  wed- 
ding procession  of  Tsar 
Doushan,  155;  rides  the  steed 
Koulash,  154,  155;  his  fight 
for  Koulash,  158,  159;  he 
undertakes  the  first  test  on 
behalf  of  Tsar  Doushan,  in 
order  to  win  Roksanda,  160- 
162  ;  the  second  test  under- 
taken by,  162,  163  ;  succeeds 
in  the  third  test,  1 64  ;  succeeds 
in  the  fourth  test  by  discovering 
the  identity  of  Princess  Rok- 
sanda, 164-166  ;  his  contest 
with  Balatchko,  1 67-1 69 ;  Bala- 
tchko  slain  by,  168  ;  discloses 
his  identity  to  Tsar  Doushan, 
1 68 


382 


Glossary  &  Index 


MILOSH,  VOIVODE.  The  veela 
Raviyoyla  wounds,  17  ;  the 
great  Serbian  hero  who  slays 
the  Turkish  sultan,  Amourath 

I,  173 

MILOUTIN.  I.  Dragoutin,  his 
brother,  king  of  Serbia,  retires 
in  favour  of,  4  ;  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  descendants  of 
Nemanya,  5 ;  Stevan  Datchanski 
son  of,  5.  II.  Servant  of  Prince 
Lazarus;  relates  to  Tsarina 
Militza  death  of  Tsar  Lazarus 
and  her  nine  brothers  on  field 
of  Kossovo,  173,  174.  III. 
Prince  of  Ressava ;  Iconia 
daughter  of,  211-212. 

MINISTER.  The  treacherous,  in 
the  Serbian  folk-tale  "  Good 
Deeds  Never  Perish,"  294 

MIROTCH.  Prince  Marko  and 
Milosh  of  Potzerye  ride  across 
the  mountain  of,  102 

MISSION.  Of  Cyrillos  and  Metho- 
dius to  the  Emperor  Michel  III, 
29 

MIYATOVICH,  M.  CHEDO.  Per- 
sonal friend  of  King  Alexander, 
ii 

MOHAMMED.  The  vizier  of 
Tyoopria  undertakes  to  make 
Stephan  Yakshitch  love  the 
creed  of,  179 

MOHAMMEDANISM.  Prince  Maxi- 
mus  and  Yovan  Obrenbegovitch 
embrace,  149 

MOLDAVIA.  Many  noble  Serbian 
families  take  refuge  with  Chris- 
tian princes  of,  8 

MOMCHILO.  Queen  Helen,  sister 
of  the  adventurous  knight,  59 

MOMTCHILO,  VOIVODE.  Vidossava 
the  lonely  consort  of,  186 ; 
Yaboutchilo  the  steed  of,  187- 
191  ;  King  Voukashin  marches 
an  army  against,  187  ;  the 
strange  dream  of,  189;  falls 
into  an  ambuscade,  189;  his 
valiant  fight,  190;  Yevrossima 
vainly  attempts  to  rescue,  191  ; 
the  death  of,  192  ;  his  castle 
pillaged,  193 

MONTENEGRO.  Never  subdued  by 
Turks,  8  ;  belief  in,  that  each 
house  has  its  guardian  spirit, 
18  ;  belief  in  vampires  in,  21, 
22 ;  Nicholas  I  Petrovitch 


king  of,  120;  "The  Marriage 
of  Maximus  Tzrnoyevitch  "  the 
source  of  the  drama  "  The 
Empress  of  the  Balkans  "  by 
king  of,  1 34  ;  Vladika  Danilo 
Petrovitch,  uncle  of  the  present 
king  of,  who  first  assumed  the 
title  of  Prince  as  a  hereditary 
one,  184 ;  few  instances  of 
treachery  in,  185 

MOOR,  THE.  Wedding  tax  in- 
flicted by,  82-86 

MOORISH  CHIEFTAIN,  A.  Prince 
Marko  and,  72-80 

MORAVA.  The  river  of,  2  ;  Theo- 
dore of  Stalatch  at,  210 

MORAVIANS.  Their  conversion  to 
Christianity,  29 

MOUSSA  ARBANASS.  See  Moussa 
Kessedjiya 

MOUSSA  KESSEDJIYA.  Prince 
Marko  and,  108-114 

MOUYO.  His  welfare  in  the  Other 
World  described  in  the  Serbian 
popular  anecdote  "  The  Era 
from  the  Other  World,"  331- 

333 

MRNYAVTCHEVITCH.  Three 
brothers  who  built  Skadar 
(Scutari),  198 

MUSSULMAN  FAITH.  The  vizier 
of  Tyoopria  tries  to  convert 
Stephan  Yakshitch  to  the,  179 

MYTHOLOGY.  Giants  (djins)  in 
Bulgarian,  Croatian,  and  Sla- 
vonian, we  owe  to  the  mediaeval 
cycle  of  myths,  27,  28 

MYTHS.  Influence  on  Southern- 
Slavonic  peoples  of  Graeco- 
Oriental  and  Christian  legends 
and,  14 


N 


NAPLES.  Prince  Ourosh  keeps  up 
friendly  relations  with  French 
Court  of  Charles  of  Anjou  in, 
119 

NATURALISM.  Ousted  from  the 
Serbians  by  the  doctrines  of 
the  Great  Master,  29,  30 

NATURE.  The  worship  of,  by 
Southern-Slavonic  races  not 
adequately  studied,  14 ;  has 
not  yet  vanished  fiom  the 
creed  of  the  Balkans,  30 


383 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


NEDELYKO,  ARCHDEACON.  King 
Voukashin  summons  to  the 
field  of  Kossovo,  66,  67 

"NEIMAR."  Equivalent,  architect 
204 

NEMAGNITCH.  Reference  to  the 
glorious  dynasty  of,  58 

NEMANYA,  STEPHAN.  Grand 
Djoupan ;  created  Duke  of 
Serbia  by  theByza  ntine  em- 
peror, 4  ;  Stevan  second  son  of, 
4 ;  one  of  Youg  Bogdans,  sons-in- 
law  a  direct  descendant  of,  120 

NESTOPOLYE,  YANKO  OF.  Milosh- 
the-Shepherd's  steed,  Koulash, 
admired  by,  1 57 

NEW  INN.  Prince  Marko  placed 
in,  to  recuperate  his  strength  for 
his  duel  with  Moussa,  1 10, 1 1 1 

NICHOLAS  I  PETROVITCH.  King 
of  Montenegro,  an  indirect 
descendant  out  of  Balshitchi; 
forced  by  the  Great  Powers  to 
evacuate  Skadar,  120  ;  Serbian 
bards  improvise  ballads  to 
record  deeds  of,  120  ;  source  of 
inspiration  of  his  drama  "The 
Empress  of  the  Balkans,"  134 

NICHOLAS,  ST.  Power  of  control- 
ling ocean,  etc.,  attributed  by 
the  Serbians  to,  51  ;  mention 
of,  in  Serbian  ballad  "The 
Saints  Divide  the  Treasures," 
195  ;  the  seas  with  the  galleys 
upon  them  chosen  by,  196 

NISH.  Extreme  devotion  to  the 
Saints  practised  at,  46 

NOVAK.  A  famous  maker  of 
swords,  in;  makes  a  sword 
for  Prince  Marko,  1 1 1 ,  112 

Novi  BAZAR.  The  pasha  of,  one 
of  the  leaders  in  the  assault  on 
Belgrade,  177-184;  the  vizier 
of  Tyoopria  wishes  to  have 
Stephan  Yakshitch  appointed 
vizier  of,  1 80  ;  Stephan  Yak- 
shitch's  life  redeemed  by  the 
vizier  of,  1 80 


OBRENBEGOVITCH,  MEHMED-BEY. 

Turkish  alternative  for  Yovan 

Obrenbegovitch,  149 
OBRENOVITCH  III,  PRINCEMICHEL. 

The    Serbian    legend    of    }'  A 


384 


Pavilion  neither  in  the  Sky  nor 
on  the  Earth,"  contributed  to 
Vouk  Stephanovitch  Karad- 
gitch  by,  220 

OBUGAGN  GREB.  Name  borne  by 
the  grave  of  Governor  Obuga- 
nitch,  in  Konavla,  27 

ODYSSEY.     Reference  to,  54 

OGNYENA  MARIA  (Mary  the  Fiery 
One).  Serbian  peasants  believe 
her  to  be  the  sister  of  the  god 
Peroon  (St.  Elias),  15 

OLD  SERBIA.  One  of  the  provinces 
in  the  Balkan  territories,  i 

OOSSOOD.  A  veela  who  pro- 
nounced the  destiny  of  Serbian 
infants,  18 

OTTOMAN  GENERALS.  Mediaeval 
history  of  Serbia  contains  many 
instances  of  malcontents  who  be- 
came tools  in  hands  of ,  174, 175 

OTTOMAN  INVASION.  Ourosh  and 
his  nobles  pave  the  way  for  the,  5 

OTTOMAN  STATESMEN.  Historical 
note  re  the  cunning  efforts  of, 
to  seduce  malcontents  from 
their  allegiance  to  their  rightful 
lords  at  the  Courts  of  the 
Christian  princes  of  the  Balkans, 
184,  185 

OUGLESHA.  Inheritance  of  the 
Empire  disputed  by,  65,  70 

OUROSH.  Younger  son  of  Doushan 
the  Powerful,  5  ;  Voukashin's 
bad  faith  toward,  61  ;  inheri- 
tance'.of  the  Empire  disputed  by, 
65-71";  Marko  blessed  by,  71 

OUROSH,  PRINCE.  Belonged  to 
the  Nemanya  dynasty,  119; 
Helen  (a  princess  of  the  house 
de  Courtenay)  wife  of,  119; 
maintained  friendly  relations 
with  the  French  Court  of 
Charles  of  Anjou  in  Naples 
through  his  wife,  119 

OUROSH  THE  GREAT.  Dethrones 
his  brother  Vladislav,  4  ;  de- 
throned by  his  son  Dragoutin,  4 

OURVINIAN  MOUNTAIN.  Prince 
Marko's  death  on,  115-118 


PADISHAH  (Sultan).  Marko  fears 
his  foes  will  calumniate  him  to, 
107  ;  Vlah-Ali  the  rebel  of  the, 


Glossary  @f  Index 


123  ;  Stephan  Yakshitch  taken 
before  the,  178  ;  Stephan  Yak- 
shitch tempted  to  abjure  the 
Holy  Cross  by,  178 

PAGANISM.  The  religion  and  the, 
of  the  Serbians,  14-53  .'  only 
partially  abolished  from  the 
Balkans,  30 

PALM  SUNDAY.  Serbian  festivities 
on,  52 

PANTHELIAS,  ST.  Mention  of,  in 
Serbian  ballad  "The  Saints 
Divide  the  Treasures,"  195  ; 
great  heats  chosen  by,  196 

PAUL.  One  of  the  brothers  in  the 
Serbian  ballad  "The  Step- 
sisters," 206-210 

."  PAVILION  NEITHER  IN  THE  SKY 
NOR  ON  THE  EARTH,  A."  A 
Serbian  legend,  220-224 

"  PEA-HENS,  THE  NINE."  A 
Serbian  folk-tale,  267-280 

?'  PEPELYOUGA  "  (Cinderella).  A 
Serbian  legend,  226-230  ;  alter- 
native name  of,  Marra,  226— 
229 

PEROON.  The  Russian  God  of 
Thunder,  1 5  ;  name  preserved 
in  village  "  Peroon,"  and  in 
plant  "  Peroonika,"  15 

PETER  I,  KING.  Son  of  Alexandre 
Karageorgevitch  ;  his  glorious 
rule,  ii  ;  George  Petrovitch 
grandfather  of,  175  ;  Empire 
lost  by  Tsar  Lazarus  regained 
under,  176 

PETER  II.  Archbishop  of  Monte- 
negro, and  belief  in  vampires, 

22 

PETER,  ST.  Mention  of,  in  Serbian 
ballad  "  The  Saints  Divide  the 
Treasures,"  195  ;  wine,  wheat 
and  the  Keys  of  the  Heavenly 
Empire  chosen  by,  196  ;  "St. 
Peter  and  the  Sand,"  a  Serbian 
popular  anecdote,  362 

PETROVITCH,  GEORGE.  Turkish  de- 
signation Karageorge  ('  Black 
George').  A  gifted  Serbian 
who  led  a  successful  insurrec- 
tion against  the  Turks  in  1804, 
9,  175  ;  cruelly  assassinated  by 
order  of  Milosh,  10 

PETROVITCH,  NICHOLAS  I.  See 
Nicholas 

PETROVITCH,  PETER.  The  popular 
Serbian  poet ;  reference  to  his 


masterpiece  on  Gorsky  Viyenatz 
("  The  Mountain  Wreath  "),  56 

PETROVITCH,  VLADIKA  DANILO. 
Uncle  of  present  king  of 
Montenegro  ;  first  assumed  the 
title  of  Prince  as  a  hereditary 
one,  184 

PIRLITOR.  Alternative,  Piritor. 
The  white  city  opposite  the 
mountain  Dourmitor,  the  wall3 
of  the  castle  of  which  it  is  said 
still  exist  in  Herzegovina,  186  ; 
Vidossava  punished  by  the 
castle,  193 

PISISTRATE'S  EPOCH.  The  learned 
Diascevastes  of,  54 

PLEIADES.  Serbian  equivalent, 
Sedmoro  Bratye  (The  Seven 
Brothers  '),  22 

PODGORITZA.  Captain  Yovan's 
five  hundred  men  of,  139 

POETRY,  EPIC.  The  Serbian 
national,  54-58 

POGATCHA.  The  Serbian  wed- 
ding cake,  38 

POLAZNIK.     A  Serbian  visitor,  50 

POPE,  THE.  Stevan  Tomashevitch 
fails  to  get  help  from,  8 

PORETCH.  The  district  of  ;  Milo 
and  Milosh  arrive  at,  105 

PORPHYROGENETE,    CONSTANTINE. 

According  to,  the  Serbians 
adopted  the  Christian  faith  at 
two  different  periods,  28 

POTZERYE,  MILOSH  OF.  Bogdan 
the  Bully  and,  87-89  ;  General 
Voutcha  and,  89-94  ;  the  veela 
Raviyoyla  and,  102-105 

PREDESTINATION.  Serbians  be- 
lieve in  immortality  and,  18 

PRIEPOLYE.  A  youth  from, 
admires  Milosh-the-Shepherd'a 
steed,  Koulash,  157 

"PRIEST,  THE,  WHY  DROWNED." 
A  Serbian  popular  anecdote, 

364 

PRILIP.  Serbian  belief  that 
Prince  Marko  is  asleep  in  castle 
at,  64  ;  Prince  Marko's  appear- 
ance at  battle  of,  in  November, 
1912,  64 ;  Archdeacon  Nedelyko 
bids  the  four  tabors  appeal  to 
Marko  at,  67 ;  the  Sultana's 
dream  concerning,  74  ;  Milosh 
sends  a  messenger  to,  90 ; 
Marko  imprisons  Voutcha  and 
Velimir  in,  93,  94 

2B  385 


Tales  @P  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


PRISREND.  Theodor  arrives  at, 
and  reports  to  Tsar  Doushan 
the  result  of  his  mission,  151, 
1 52  ;  Tsar  Doushan's  return  to, 
1 68 

PTOLEMY.  Greek  geographer, 
describes  the  Serbians,  i 


Q 


QUESTS.  The,  of  the  three  sons 
in  the  Serbian  folk-tale  "  He 
whom  God  helps  no  one 
can  harm,"  300-305 


RADO.  The  architect  (neimar) 
who  builds  Skadar,  200-205 

RADOOL.  One  of  the  brothers  in 
the  Serbian  ballad  "  The  Step- 
sisters," 206-210 

RADOSLAV.  Son  of  Stevan,  be- 
comes King  of  Serbia  ;  deposed 
by  his  brother  Vladislav,  4 

RADOUL-BEY.  A  Turkish  lord, 
the  supposed  master  of  Milosh- 
the-Shepherd,  155 

RAGUSA.  Many  noble  Serbian 
families  find  a  safe  refuge  in,  8 

"  RAM  WITH  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE, 
THE."  A  Serbian  folk-lore 
story,  213-220 

RASHKA.  Name  of  the  indepen- 
dent State  that  Djoupan  Vlas- 
timir  attempted  to  form,  2  ; 
Tsar  Simeon  invades,  to  support 
Djoupan  Tchaslav,  2  ;  over- 
powered by  Byzantine  Empire,  3 

RASTISLAV,  PRINCE.    Cyrillos  and 
jodius    entrusted    with    a 
mission  to  Emperor  Michel  III 
by,  29 

RAVIYOYLA,  VEEL^W  Prince  Marko 
all  but  slays  the,  1 7  ;  the  story 
of  Prince  Marko  and,  102-105 

RELIGION.  Paganism  and  the,  of 
the  Serbians,  14-53  ;  natural- 
ism and  the  Serbians,  29,  30 

RELYA  OF  BAZAR.  A  Serbian 
knight ;  Bogdan  the  Bully  and, 

87 

RENAISSANCE.  The  Serbian  poets 
of  Ragusa  made  frequent  refer- 
ence during  the,  to  nymphs  and 
dryads  as  '  Veele,'  16 


"RESNIK."  A  proper  name  in 
Serbia,  etc.,  which  means  "  the 
one  who  is  searching  for  truth," 
24 

RESSAVA.  Theodore  of  Stalatch 
wanders  by  river  of,  and  sees 
Iconia,  210,  211 

ROKSANDA,  PRINCESS.  Daughter 
of  King  Michael  of  Ledyen  ; 
Tsar  Doushan  sues  for  hand  of, 
1 50  ;  the  four  tests  undertaken 
by  Milosh-the-Shepherd  on  be- 
half of  Tsar  Doushan  in  order 
to  win,  160-166 

RONCEVAL.  Reference  to  the 
French  troubadour's  ballad  of 
battle  at,  in  comparison  with 
the  method  of  elaboration  em- 
ployed in  connexion  with 
"  King  Voukashin's  Marriage," 

193,  194 

ROUMANIA.    Battle  of  Rovina  in,  6 
ROVINA.     Marko  killed  in  battle 

of,  6 
RUSSIANS.        Funeral      customs 

among  the,  26,  27 


SACRIFICIAL  RITES.  The  exact 
terminology  of  well-known, 
from  translations  of  the  Greek 
legends  of  the  Saints,  24 ; 
legends  of  human,  among  Rus- 
sians, Polapic  Slavs,  Serbians, 
etc.,  25 

ST.  ELIAS  (Elijah).  Serbian 
peasants  believe  that  the  god 
Peroon  still  lives  in  the  person 
of,  15  ;  kolyivo  not  prepared 
for,  41  ;  mention  of,  in  Serbian 
ballad  "The  Saints  Divide 
the  Treasures,"  195  ;  comforts 
Beata  Maria,  196 

ST.  GEORGE'S  DAY.  Serbian  equi- 
valent, Dyourdyev  Dan.  Strange 
sorceries  practised  on,  33,  53 

ST.  JOTHJ.  The  princess  appeals 
to  Prints  Marko  in  name  of, 
75,  76 ;  \he  veela  Raviyoyla 
appeals  to  \Marko  by  memory 
of f  104.  LJBgntion  of,  in  Serbian 
ballad  "  The  Saints  Divide 
the  Treasures,"  195  ;  brother- 
hood, koomhood,  and  the  Holy 
Cross  chosen  by,  196 


386 


Glossary  fef  Index 


ST.  NICHOLAS.  Power  of  con- 
trolling ocean,  etc.,  attributed 
by  the  Serbians  to,  51  ;  men- 
tion of,  in  Serbian  ballad  "  The 
Saints  Divide  the  Treasures," 

J95 

ST.  PANTHELIAS.  Mention  of,  in 
Serbian  ballad  "  The  Saints 
Divide  the  Treasures,"  195  ; 
great  heats  chosen  by,  196 

ST.  PETER.  Mention  of,  in  Serbian 
ballad  "The  Saints  Divide 
the  Treasures,"  195  ;  wine, 
wheat,  and  the  Keys  of  the 
Heavenly  Empire  chosen  by,  1 96 

"  SAINTS  DIVIDE  THE  TREASURES, 
THE."  Serbian  ballad,  195-197  ; 
"  The  Sand  and,  a  Serbian 
popular  anecdote,  362 

SALONICA.  The  Slav  apostles  of, 
Cyrillos  and  Methodius  two  of, 
29 

SAMODREZJA.  White  church  of, 
on  field  of  Kossovo,  65  ;  Marko 
chased  by  Voukashin  round 
church  of,  70,  71 

SAND  "  ST.  PETER  AND  THE."  A 
Serbian  popular  anecdote,  362 

SAVA.  Youngest  son  of  Grand 
Djoupan  Stephan  Nemanya,  4  ; 
becomes  first  Servian  arch- 
bishop, 4 

SCUTARI.  Modern  alternative  for 
Skadar.  See  Skadar.  Sir  John 
Bowring  and  the  token  on  the 
walls  of,  confirming  the  story 
of  Goiko's  wife  being  immured, 
205 

SEA.  The  Saints  divide  the 
treasures  of,  195-197 

SERB-S.  The  coming  of  the,  i  ; 
Prince  Ourosh  seeks  to  promote 
an  alliance  between  the  French 
and,  119 

SERBIA.  Use  of  the  solecism 
Servia  in  English  language,  i  ; 
one  of  the  kingdoms  in  the 
Balkan  territories,  i  ;  ruled  by 
dynasty  founded  by  Grand 
Djoupan  Stephan  Nemanya,  3, 
4 ;  Stevan  assumes  title  of 
King  of,  4  ;  Bulgaria  a  province 
of.  5  ;  Doushan  the  Powerful 
Tsar  of,  5  ;  Knez  Lazar  elected 
ruler  of,  6  ;  fresh  subjugation 
of,  in  year  1813,  9  ;  Treaty  of 
Berlin  acknowledges  indepen- 


dence of,  10,  ii  ;  Princess 
Roksanda's  excellence  un- 
matched throughout,  152;  the 
love  of  a  sister  for  her  brother 
is  proverbial  in,  170 

SERBIAN-S.  Galicia  occupied  by, 
prior  to  their  incursion  into 
the  Balkan  Peninsula,  i  ;  de- 
scribed by  Ptolemy  as  living 
on  banks  of  Don,  i  ;  Heraclius 
cedes  provinces  to  the,  i  ;  an 
easy  prey  to  the  Byzantines, 
the  Bulgars,  and  the  Francs,  2  ; 
attempt  to  form  a  State  on 
banks  of  River  Morava  in  ninth 
century,  2  ;  nation  hindered  by 
internecine  strife  from  becom- 
ing a  powerful  political  unit,  3  ; 
church,  Sava  obtains  autonomy 
of,  4  ;  archbishop.  Sava  becomes 
the  first,  4  ;  lands  occupied  by 
the  Turks,  6  ;  struggle  between 
Turks  and,  7  ;  final  defeat  of, 
8  ;  emigration  of,  to  Hungary, 
8  ;  superstitious  beliefs  of,  and 
national  customs,  13-53  ', 
mixed  with  the  indigenous 
population  of  the  Balkan  Penin- 
sula, 13  ;  the  Boshnyaks  con- 
sidered the  most  typical,  13  ; 
bards,  the  Veele  glorified  by,  16; 
national  customs  of  the,  31-53  ; 
national  epic  poetry,  54-58  ; 
"  Banovitch  Strahinya  "  one  of 
the  finest  ballads  composed 
by  anonymous  bards  during 
Middle  Ages,  119;  the  depar- 
ture of,  from  Ledyen,  bearing 
Princess  Roksanda,  166 ; 
"  People,  Why  Poor,"  a  Serbian 
popular  anecdote,  362 

"  SERVIAN  POPULAR  POETRY." 
Sir  John  Bowring's,  quotations 
of  three  poems  from,  198-212 

SHAR.  The  mountain  where 
Mi  losh  -  the  -  Shepherd  tarried 
with  his  flocks,  153 

SHARATZ  (Piebald).  Prince 
Marko's  wonderful  courser,  17, 
57  ;  story  how  Marko  became 
possessed  of  the  wonderful 
steed,  61-65  ;  alternatives, 
Sharin  or  Sharo,  62  ;  Marko 
rides  to  Kossovo,  68,  69  ;  pre- 
pared for  fight  against  a  Moor, 
76  ;  Marko  rides,  to  Istamboul, 
76,  77  ;  Bedevia  and,  79,  80, 


387 


Tales  @f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


8 1 ;  Marko  rides,  in  his  conflict 
with  the  Moor  to  abolish  his 
wedding  tax,  82-86 ;  how 
Marko  escaped  Bogdan  the 
Bully  on,  87  ;  Marko  attacks 
General  Voutcha  on,  91-94; 
Marko  flees  from  Moorish  princes 
on,  102  ;  the  veela  Raviyoyla 
overtaken  by,  103,  104;  Marko 
pursues  the  Turkish  Grand  Vizir 
on,  1 06;  Marko  rides  forth  on, 
to  meet  Moussa,  112  ;  Marko 
returns  triumphantly  to  the 
Sultan  at  Istamboul  on,  114; 
Marko  slays  and  buries,  1 1 6, 1 1 7 

SHISHMAN,  KING.  Marko  and 
daughter  of,  95-97 

SIMEON.  A  Bulgarian  Tsar ; 
Rashka  invaded  by,  2 

SIRMIA.  I.  One  of  the  kingdoms 
in  the  Balkan  territories,  i; 
Dragoutin  king  of ,  5.  II.  A  plain 
containing  village  of  Koopinovo, 
in  which  Zmay-Despot  Vook 
lived,  130. 

SITNITZA.  Strahinya  beholds 
supposed  tent  of  Vlah-Ali  from 
the  banks  of,  122  ;  Banovitch 
crosses  the  river,  124 ;  Ban 
Strahinya's  death  by  the  stream- 
let, 174 

SKADAR  or  SKADRA.  Modern 
alternative,  Scutari ;  birthplace 
of  Prince  Marko,  59 ;  the 
capital  of  Northern  Albania, 
where  Strashimir  Balshitch- 
Nemanyitch  reigned  (1360- 
1370),  119;  the  capital  of 
Zeta  (the  Montenegro  of  modern 
times),  120 ;  name  derived 
from  the  Italian  appellation 
Scodra,  otherwise  Scutari,  198  ; 
belonged  to  Serbians  from  time 
immemorial,  198  ;  Serbian 
ballad  *'  The  Building  of," 
198-205  ;  on  river  Boyana,  186 

SKOUPSHTINA,  THE  (National 
Assembly).  Milosh  restored  by, 
10  ;  elects  King  Peter  I,  1 1 

SLAV-S.  Language,  teachings  of 
Christ  translated  into,  byCyril- 
los  and  Methodius,  2  ;  apostles, 
Cyrillos  and  Methodius  two  of, 
29 ;  explanation  of  conquest 
of  Ottoman  generals  over 
the  Balkan,  175 

388 


SLAVA.  Alternative,  Krsno  Ime. 
The  Serbian  tutelary  Saint-day, 
40-46 

SLAVONIC  RACES.  Paganism  and 
religion  of,  14-53  ',  influence 
of  Graeco-Oriental  myths  and 
legends,  Illyrian  and  Roman 
propaganda,  Christian  legends 
and  apocryphal  writings,  on 
the,  14  ;  remains  of  idols  of 
the  Sun  god  '  Daybog  '  among 
the,  1 6 

SOUTHERN  SLAVS.  At  first  the 
Christian  faith  spread  only 
superficially,  28  ;  life  of,  inter- 
woven with  superstition,  30-53  ; 
national  customs  of,  31-53  ; 
allusion  to  frescoes  illustrating 
duel  between  Marko  and  Moussa 
on  tavern  walls  in  villages  of,  108 

SPIRITS,  GOOD  AND  EVIL.  Serbian 
belief  in,  18,  22 

SREDOI.  A  kinsman  of  George 
Irene  ;  Iconia  promised  to,  for 
Irene,  211 

STALATCH.  A  ruined  fortress  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  Morava, 
210  ;  Theodore  of,  210 

STAMBOUL.  Mediaeval  history  of 
Serbia  contains  many  instances 
of  malcontents  going  to,  and 
becoming  tools  of  Ottoman 
generals,  174,  175  ;  return  in 
triumph  of  the  vizier  of  Tyoo- 
pria  to,  178 

"  STEEL,  TRUE."  The  Serbian 
folk-tale  of  "Bash  Tchelik " 
or,  247-267 

STEFAN  STREMATZ.  The  celebrated 
Serbian  novelist,  and  Slava 
customs,  46 

J*  STEPMOTHER  AND  HER  STEP- 
DAUGHTER, THE."  A  Serbian 
folk-tale,  235-240 

"  STEPSISTERS,  THE."  A  Serbian 
ballad  from  Sir  John  Bowring's 
Servian  Popular  Poetry,  206-210 

STEVAN.  Second  son  of  Grand 
Djoupan  Stephan  Nemanya, 
3,4;  on  abdication  of  his  father 
he  assumes  title  of  King  of 
Servia,  4  ;  Radoslav  son  of,  4 

STEVAN  DETCHANSKI.  Miloutin's 
son  ;  by  victory  at  Velbouzd 
brings  whole  of  Bulgaria  under 
his  sway,  5  ;  dethroned  by 
Doushan,  5 


Glossary  &  Index 


STEVAN  TOMASHEVITCH.  King  of 
Bosnia,  8 

STOYAN  AND  STOYANA.  Twins 
whom  it  was  attempted  to 
immure  in  the  foundation  of 
Skadar,  198-205 

STRAHINYA,  BANOVITCH.  Serbian 
bards  improvise  ballads  to  tell 
story  of  Nicholas  I  Petrovitch 
just  as  their  ancestors  recorded 
exploits  of,  1 20 ;  Vlah-Ali 
attacks  castle  and  captures 
wife  of,  120-128  ;  slays  Vlah- 
Ali  and  returns  to  Kroushevatz, 
128 

STRASHIMIR  BALSHITCH -NEMAN - 
YITCH.  Some  Serbian  historians 
believe  identical  with  Bano- 
vitch  Strahinya,  119;  a  descen- 
dant of  the  old  Proven9al 
family  of  des  Baux,  119; 
reigned  conjointly  with  two 
brothers  in  Skadar,  the  capital 
of  Northern  Albania  (1360- 
1370),  119 

STRENGTH.  The  secret  of  Bash 
Tchelik's,  266 

STRHIGNA,  BAN.  Tsarina  Militza 
and  death  of,  173 

SUBLIME  PORTE.  Accepts  Milosh 
as  hereditary  Prince  of  Serbia, 
10 

•-"  SUITORS,  THE  THREE."  A 
Servian  folk-tale,  316-322 

SUN  AND  MOON.  Serbian  beliefs 
regarding  eclipses  recall  Norse 
belief  of  a  similar  nature,  19 

SUN-GOD.  Pagan  sacrifices  to,  in 
/  Serbia,  49 

SUNDAY/  Veela  discountenances 
fighting  on,  17,  113,  114 

SUPERSTITION.  Christianity  and, 
in  the  Balkans,  30 

"  SVATI  "  (or  svatovi).  Serbian 
equivalent  for  wedding  guests, 

32 

SVETCHAR.  The  chief  man  of 
the  family  in  connexion  with 
the  Slava,  40,  42 

SVETOPLUK,  PRINCE.  Cyrillos  and 
Methodius  entrusted  with  a 
mission  to  Emperor  Michel  III 
by,  29 

SWORD.  Novak  makes  a  cele- 
brated one  for  Prince  Marko, 

III,  112 


TARRA.     The  river,  186 

TASKS,  THE  THREE.  Named  in  the 
Serbian  ballad  "The  Ram 
with  the  Golden  Fleece,"  213- 
220 

TCHARDACK.  A  Turkish  word 
signifying  a  tower  provided 
with  balconies,  129 

TCHASLAV.  The  Djoupan  of  a 
Serbian  tribe;  claims  theRashka 
State,  2 ;  wrests  also  the  terri- 
tories of  Zetta,  Trebinye, 
Neretva,  and  Housa,  2,  3 

TCHILE.  Diminutive  for  Yabou- 
tchilo.  The  steed  of  Voivode 
Momtchilo,  186-191 

TEKIYE.  Allusion  to  the  church 
at,  93 

THEODOR.  Tsar  Doushan's  Coun- 
cillor of  State  ;  sent  to  sue  for 
hand  of  Roksanda,  daughter  of 
King  Michael  of  Ledyen,  1 50  ; 
reports  result  of  his  mission, 
151,152;  his  inability  to  under- 
go the  fourth  test  in  order  to 
win  Princess  Roksanda,  164, 
165 

THEODORE  OF  STALATCH.  Hero  in 
the  Serbian  ballad  "  The  Abduc- 
tion of  the  Beautful  Iconia," 
210-212  ;  Dobrivoy  servant  of. 

21  I 

THRACIANS,  THE.  Driven  by 
Serbians  toward  Adriatic  coast,  i 

THUNDERER,  THE.  Appellation 
for  St.  Elias,  196 

TIMOK.  River  of,  crossed  by 
Marko  and  Milosh,  105 

TOASTS.     The  Slava  and,  44 

TOPLITZA,  MILAN  OF.  General 
Voutcha  and,  89-94 

"  TRADE,  A,  BEFORE  EVERY- 
THING." A  Serbian  popular 
anecdote,  366-369 

"  TRADE  THAT  NO  ONE  KNOWS, 
THE."  A  Serbian  folk-tale,  340- 

TRAJAN,  EMPEROR.  Confused  in 
the  Balkans  with  the  Greek 
King  Midas,  27  ;  confused  in 
Serbian  legends  with  Daedalus, 
27 

TRAVNIK.     The  city  of,  179 


389 


Tales  ^f  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


TREACHERY.  Vook  Brankovitch's, 
against  Knez  Lazar,  7 

TREASURES,  "THE  SAINTS  DIVIDE 
THE,"  195-197 

TREATY  OF  BERLIN.  The  famous, 
acknowledged  the  independence 
oi  Serbia  during  the  rule  of 
Milan,  10,  n  ;  mention  of  a 
Veele  ring  in  the,  17 

"TSAR,  THE  MAIDEN  WISER  THAN 
THE."  Serbian  folk-tale,  287- 
291 

TURK-S.  Reference  to  campaigns 
between  Christians  and,  6; 
struggle  between  Serbians  and, 
7  ;  final  success  of,  8  ;  almost 
driven  from  Europe  under 
glorious  rule  of  King  Peter  I, 
1 1  ;  abhorred  by  the  Veele,  1 7  ; 
defeat  of,  on  battlefields  of 
Koumanovo,  Monastir,  Prilip, 
Prizrend,  Kirk-Kilisse  and  Scu- 
tari, 54  ;  sought  and  attacked 
by  Banovitch  on  field  of  Kos- 
sovo,  121-128  ;  Prince  Maxi- 
mus  and  Yovan  Obrenbegovitch 
become,  149  ;  Belgrade  assailed 
by  a  great  host  of,  177-184  ; 
Stephan  Yakshitch  resists  the 
temptation  to  become  a,  179- 
182  ;  historical  note  re  the 
cunning  efforts  of,  to  seduce 
malcontents  from  their  alle- 
giance to  their  rightful  lords 
at  courts  of  the  Christian 
princes  of  the  Balkans,  184, 
185 

TURKISH  ATROCITIES.  Their  cul- 
mination reached  in  seven- 
teenth century,  9 

TURKISH  HUNTSMEN,  THE.  Prince 
Marko  and,  105-108 

TURKISH  RULE.    The  miseries  of, 

8,  9 

TVRTKO,  BAN.  Of  Bosnia  ; 
alliance  against  the  Turks 
between  Knez  Lazar  and,  6 

"  TWINS,  THE  GOLDEN-HAIRED." 
A  Serbian  folk-tale,  353-361 

T  YOOPRIA.  I.  Vizier  of ;  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  assault  on  Bel- 
grade, 177-183  ;  Stephan  Yak- 
shitch led  as  prisoner  to,  178  ; 
kindness  of,  to  Stephan  Yak- 
shitch, 178-180  ;  his  return  in 
triumph  to  Stamboul,  178  ;  his 
wish  to  make  Stephan  Yak- 

390 


shitch  vizier  of  Novi  Bazar, 
1 80.  II.  Castle  of,  the  vizier  of 
Tyoopria  offers  to  retain 
Stephan  Yakshitch  as  prisoner 
in,  179. 

TYOUPRILITCH,  GRAND  VIZIR. 
Undertakes  a  campaign  against 
Moussa,  1 08  ;  Moussa  takes 
prisoner  and  sends  ignomi- 
niously  bound  to  Istamboul, 
1 08,  109  ;  advises  Sultan  to 
send  for  Prince  Marko,  109 

TYOUPRIYA.  Modern  alternative 
for  Korea  Margi,  2 

•'  TZECHIN."  A  golden  coin  worth 
about  ten  shillings,  240 

TZIGAN-S.  Serbian  equivalent  for 
gipsies,  36,  363  ;  their  main  occu- 
pation is  stealing  and  selling 
horses,  363 

TZRNOYEVITCH,  IVAN.  Sails  across 
the  Adriatic  to  Venice  to  secure 
wife  for  his  son  Maximus,  134  ; 
sails  for  Zablak,  135  ;  Zdral 
steed  of,  135  ;  invites  Voivode 
Milosh  Obrenbegovitch  to  be 
the  stari-svat  in  connexion 
with  his  son's  wedding,  138- 
149  ;  invites  Captain  Yovan  to 
the  wedding  of  his  son,  139  ; 
Krgno  and  Zelenko,  two  famous 
guns  of,  140 

TZRNOYEVITCH,  MAXIMUS.  The 
marriage  of,  134-149;  son  of 
Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch,  134  ; 
stricken  with  small-pox,  135  ; 
Yovan  in  a  dream  sees  a  falling 
tower  strike,  139;  Milosh 
Obrenbegovitch  slain  by,  148  ; 
Turkish  alternative,  Scander- 
beg  Ivanbegovitch,  149  ;  Scu- 
tari on  river  Boyana  granted  to, 
by  Sultan,  149 


U 


UcLESHA-VoivoDE.  Second  of 
three  brothers  who  built  Skadar 
(Scutari),  198-205 


VALAHIA.  Many  noble  Serbian 
families  take  refuge  with  Chris- 
tian princes  of,  8 


Glossary  ^f  Index 


VAMPIRES.  The  belief  in,  universal 
throughout  the  Balkans.  21,  22 

VARADIN,  FORT.  Guns  of,  signal 
General  Voutcha's  triumph,  89  ; 
Prince  Marko  on  the  plain 
before,  91,  92  ;  Marko  sends 
Voutcha  and  Velimir  to,  94 

VASSO.  The  igouman  (abbot)  of 
Mount  Athos  ;  finds  the  body 
of  Marko  and  mourns  his 
death,  1 1 8  ;  Issaya  the  deacon 
of,  118 

VASSOYE,  LAND  OF.  Momtchilo 
dreams  that  a  cloud  of  fog 
from,  wraps  itself  round  Dour- 
mitor  mountain,  189 

VEELA.  Marko  endued  with 
superhuman  strength  by  a,  17  ; 
presented  with  Sharatz  by  a, 
17  ;  Raviyoyla  a,  allusion  to 
incident  of  Marko  and,  17  ; 
Oossood  a,  who  pronounced  the 
destiny  of  Serbian  infants,  18  ; 
Raviyoyla  and  Marko,  102- 
105  ;  Marko  calls  for  aid  from 
his  sister-in-God  the,  113,  114  ; 
Marko  hears  the  call  of  the,  on 
the  top  of  Ourvinian  mountain, 
115-118 

VEELE  or  VILE  (singular,  Veela 
or  Vila).  Minor  deities  in 
Serbian  superstition  identical 
with  the  vvfj.<t>a.i  and  Trora^i 
mentioned  by  the  Greek  his- 
^  torian  Procope,  16-18  ;  Stephan 
Yakshitch  and  a,  177  ;  Ska- 
dra's  fortress  and  the,  198  ; 
the  prince  and  the,  in  the 
Serbian  folk-tale  "  The  Dream 
of  the  King's  Son,"  324,  325 

VELBOUZD.    Famous  battle  of,  5 

VELESS.  The  city  of  ;  derived 
name  from  Russian  God  of 
Cattle,  Volos,  15 

VELESSNITZA.  A  village  on  the 
lower  Danube ;  derived  name 
from  the  Russian  God  of  Cattle, 
Volos,  15 

VELIMIR.  Son  of  General  Voutcha ; 
Marko  and,  91-94 

VENETIAN  KING.  The  four  tests 
put  by  the,  to  Tsar  Doushan  in 
order  to  win  the  Princess 
Roksanda,  160-166 

VENETIAN  LAND.  Tsar  Doushan 
journeys  to  the,  152 


VENETIANS,  THE.  Their  cunning 
known  from  ancient  times,  152, 
153 

VENICE.  Maximus  Tzrnoyevitch's 
wedding  and,  140,  142 

VENICE,  DOGE  OF.  Marko  invites 
to  act  as  koom  the,  96-100  ; 
Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch  asks  daugh- 
ter of,  in  marriage  for  his  son 
Maximus,  134-149 

VIDAL,  PIERRE.  A  French  trouba- 
dour ;  Donna  Azalais  de  Baux 
his  patroness,  33 

VIDIN,  THE  PASHA  OF.  One  of 
the  leaders  in  the  assault  on 
Belgrade,  177-184 

VIDOSSAVA.  The  lonely  consort  of 
Voivode  Momtchilo  ;  letter  sent 
secretly  to,  by  King  Voukashin, 
1 86;  the  treachery  of,  187  ; 
destroys  wings  of  steed  Yabou- 
tchilo,  1 88  ;  her  punishment, 
192,  193 

VIENNA.  Vouk  Stephanovitch- 
Karadgitch's  first  collection  of 
Serbian  national  poems  pub- 
lished at,  54 

VILINDAR.  Vasso  the  Abbot  of 
Mount  Athos  rides  from  the 
white  church  of,  1 1 8  ;  Prince 
Marko 's  body  interred  within 
the  white  church  of,  1 1 8 

VLADIKA.  Meaning  in  Serbian, 
4  bishop,'  184 

VLADISLAV.  Radoslav  dethroned 
by,  4 ;  Ourosh  the  Great 
dethrones,  4 

VLAH-ALI.  A  haughty  chieftain 
who  attacks  Strahinya's  castle 
and  captures  his  wife,  120-128  ; 
independent  of  the  Grand  Vizir 
Mehmed  and  of  Sultan  Amou- 
rath,  121  ;  Strahinya  seeks 
out  and  attacks,  121-128  ;  his 
slaying  by  Banovitch,  128 

VLASTELA  (Assembly  of  Nobles). 
Doushan  the  Powerful  pro- 
claimed Tsar  of  Serbia  in 
agreement  with,  5 

VLASTIMIR,  DJOUPAN  (Great). 
Attempts  to  form  an  indepen- 
dent State,  2 

Vo  or  VOLL.  Equivalent,  Ox, 
15.  See  Volos 

391 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


Vo'lNOVITCH,      MlLOSH,        PRINCE. 

Identical  with  Milosh-the 
Shepherd,  168,  169 

VO'INOVITCH,  PETRASHIN.  Nephew 
of  Tsar  Doushan,  151;  Doushan 
swears  to  hang,  152  ;  Milosh- 
the -Shepherd  brother  of,  153, 
154 

VO'INOVITCH,  VOUKASHIN.  Nephew 
of  Tsar  Doushan,  151  ;  Doushan 
swears  to  hang,  152;  Milosh- 
the -Shepherd  brother  of,  153, 
154 

VOISLAV,  STEPHEN.  Ruler  of 
Zetta,  son  of  Dragomir,  de- 
clares his  independence  and 
appropriates  Zahoumlye  (Her- 
tzegovina),  3 

VO'IVODE.  As  a  title  of  nobility 
corresponds  to  English '  Duke,'  7 

VOIVODE,  BALATCHKO  THE.  The 
contest  with  Milosh-the-Shep- 
herd,  167-169;  Milosh  slays, 
1 68 

VOLOS.  The  Russian  God  of 
Cattle ;  derivative  appears  in 
the  Serbian  word  vo  or  voll 
('ox'),  15 

VOOK,  ZMAY-DESPOT.  The  Zmay 
of  Yastrebatz  and,  130-133  ; 
fear  of  Zmay  of  Yastrebatz  of, 
1 30  ;  village  of  Koopinovo  on 
plain  of  Sirmia,  his  abode,  1 30  ; 
his  fight  with  Zmay  of  Yastre- 
batz, 131,  132  ;  the  Zmay  slain 
by,  132  ;  ruled  over  Sirmia, 
132 

VOUK  STEPHANOVITCH  -  KARAD- 
GITCH.  Serbian  national  poet, 
54,  55;  takes  down  from 
lips  of  Serbian  bard  the 
ballad  of  "  The  Marriage  of 
King  Voukashin,"  193;  records 
the  belief  of  the  Serbian 
people  that  no  great  build- 
ing can  be  successfully  erected 
without  immuring  some  human 
being,  205  ;  Serbian  legend  "  A 
Pavilion  neither  in  the  Sky 
nor  on  the  Earth,"  contributed 
by  Prince  Michel  Obrenovitch 
III  to,  220 

VOUKASHIN,  KING.  Defeated  by 
Ourosh  on  banks  of  river 
Maritza,  6 ;  Prince  Marko  son 

392 


of,  59  ;  Serbian  ballads  sing  of, 
60  ;  the  bad  faith  of,  toward 
Emperor  Doushan,  61  ;  dis- 
putes the  inheritance  of  the 
Empire,  65-71  ;  curses  Marko, 
71  ;  the  marriage  of,  186-194  ; 
vassal  king  to  the  Emperor 
Doushan  the  Powerful,  1 86  ; 
writes  a  book  (letter)  to  Vidos- 
sava  and  dispatches  it  to 
Herzegovina,  1 86 ;  on  the 
advice  of  Vidossava  he  marches 
a  large  force  to  Herzegovina 
against  Momtchilo,  187-192  ; 
his  woe  concerning  the  death  of 
Momtchilo,  192  ;  weds  Yevros- 
sima  ;  Marko  and  Andrias  born 
to,  193  ;  historical  note  on,  193, 
194 

VOUTCHA,  GENERAL.  Prince 
Marko  and,  89-94 

VOUTCHE  OF  DYAKOVITZA.  Ad- 
mires the  steed  Koulash,  157 

VOUTCHITRN,  CASTLE  OF.  Tsar 
Doushan  swears  to  hang  his 
nephews,  the  Vomovitchs,  on 
the  gates  of  the,  152  ;  Tsar 
Doushan's  wedding  procession 
passes  by  walls  of,  152  ;  Milosh 
takes  farewell  of  Tsar  Doushan 
in  order  to  return  to,  168 

VOYAGES.  The  three,  of  the  good 
son  in  the  Serbian  folk-tale 
"  Good  Deeds  Never  Perish," 
291-299 

VRZINO  (or  VILINO)KOLLO.  Dance 
rings  of  the  Veele,  17 

VUKASHIN  KRALY.  Eldest  of 
three  brothers  who  built  Skadar 
(Scutari),  198-205 


W 

"  WAGER,    LYING    FOR    A."       A 

Serbian  folk-tale,  283-287 
WEDDING    PROCESSION.     The,  in 

the     Serbian     folk-tale     "The 

Biter  Bit,"  333 
WEDDING  TAX.      Prince   Marko 

abolishes,  82-86 
WHITSUNTIDE.   Serbian  festivities 

during,  52 
WITCH -ES  (veshtitze).    Female  evil 

spirits,   who  are  irreconcilably 


Glossary  S?  Index 


hostile  to  men  and  children,  20, 
21  ;  the  old,  in  the  Serbian 
folk-tale  "The  Bird-Maiden," 
281-283 

WORSHIP.  Of  the  sun  and  moon, 
22;  of  fire  and  lightning,  22  ; 
of  animals,  22,  23  ;  of  snakes, 
23  ;  of  the  dragon — that  of 
Southern  Slavs  contrasted  with 
that  of  the  Hellenes,  23 

WRATH  OF  GOD,  THE.  Mention  of, 
in  Serbian  ballad  "  The  Saints 
Divide  the  Treasures,"  197 


YABOUTCHILO  (diminutive, 
Tchile).  The  steed  of  Voivode 
Momtchilo,  187-191;  Momtchilo 
reproaches,  190 

YAHORIKA.  Demitrius  Yakshitch 
rests  by  river,  178 

YAKSHITCH,  DEMITRIUS.  Brother 
of  Stephan  Yakshitch  ;  the 
Veela's  warning  to,  177  ;  his  re- 
morse by  the  river  Yahorika,  178 

YAKSHITCH,  STEPHAN.  The  cap- 
tivity and  marriage  of  (a  ballad 
of  Montenegro),  177-185  ;  De- 
mitrius the  brother  of,  177  ; 
the  veela's  warning  to,  177  ; 
taken  prisoner  and  led  to  the 
presence  of  the  Vizier  of  Tyoo- 
pria,  178  ;  led  to  the  presence 
of  the  mighty  Padishah,  178  ; 
the  Padishah  tempts  him  to 
renounce  the  Holy  Cross,  179  ; 
declines  the  "  water  of  oblivion" 
offered  by  Haykoona,  181,  182  ; 
Haykoona  confesses  her  real 
love  for,  and  enables  him  to 
escape,  182,  183 

YANISSARIES.  The  pasha  of  Novi 
Bazar  in  the  assault  on  Bel- 
grade brings  twenty  thousand 
fierce,  177 

YANKO  OF  NESTOPOLYE.  Admires 
the  steed  Koulash,  1 57 

YASTREBATZ,  THE  ZMAY  OF.  The 
Tsarina  Militza  and,  129-133  ; 
his  fear  of  Zmay-Despot  Vook, 
1 30 ;  Vook  attacks  and  slays, 
131.  132 
YEDRENET.  Equivalent,  Adria- 


nople.     Prince  Marko  received 
by  the  Sultan  at,  107,  108 

YELITZA.  Sister  of  Paul  and 
Radool,  in  the  Serbian  ballad 
"The  Stepsisters,"  207-210 

YESDIMIR.  The  aged  brother  of 
the^doge  of  ^Venice,1- 143 

YEVROSSIMA  (Euphrosyne).  I. 
Alternative  name  for  Queen 
Helen,  mother  of  Prince  Marko, 
59,  67.  II.  Sister  of  Voivode 
Momtchilo,  187  ;  vainly  at- 
tempts to  rescue  her  brother 
Momtchilo,  191  ;  King  Vouka- 
shin  weds,  to  whom  she  bears 
Marko  and  Andrias,  193  ;  his- 
torical note  on,  193,  194 

YOUG  BOGDAN.  Aged  father-in- 
law  of  Banovitch,  120  ;  visited 
by  Banovitch,  120,  121  ;  castle 
in  Kroushevatz  the  residence 
of,  1 20  ;  Strahinya  returns  to, 
after  his  slaying  of  Vlah-Ali, 
128  ;  Tsarina  Militza  and  death 
of,  173 

YOUGOVITCH-S.  I.  The  nine 
brothers-in-law  of  Strahinya ; 
Strahinya  urges  them  not  to 
slay  their  sister,  128.  II.  The 
nine  brothers  of  Tsarina  Militza, 
170-174 

YOVAN,  CAPTAIN.  Ivan  Tzrnoye- 
vitch  invites,  to  the  wedding  of 
his  son,  139-149 

YOVAN  OBRENBEGOVITCH.  Brother 
of  Milosh  Obrenbegovitch,  149  ; 
meets  Prince  Maximus,  149; 
Turkish  alternative  Mehmed- 
Bey  Obrenbegovitch,  149  ;  plain 
of  Ducadyin  given  as  fief  to, 
149 

Yovo.  Infant  son  of  Goi'ko,  204, 
205 


ZABLAK.  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch  sails 
for,  135  ;  wedding  attendants 
invited  by  Ivan  Tzrnoyevitch 
encamp  on  plain  of,  139;  Yovan 
in  a  dream  beholds  fire  consume 
the  beautiful  capital  of,  139  ; 
Milosh  to  escort  Maximus'  bride 
to,  141,  144 

393 


Tales  &  Legends  of  the  Serbians 


"  ZADROOGA."  Designation  of  Ser- 
bian family  associations,  13, 14 

ZAGORYE.  Mountain  on  which 
Milosh -the -Shepherd  overtakes 
wedding  procession  of  Tsar 
Doushan,  155 

ZAGREB  (Agram).  Croatians  had 
established  an  episcopate  at,  as 
early  as  the  eleventh  century,  1 4 

ZAHOUMLYB  (Herzegovina).  Ap- 
propriated by  Stephen  Voislav,  3 

ZDRAL.  Steed  of  Ivan  Tzrnoye- 
vitch,  135,  140,  142 

"ZELENKO"  and  "  KRGNO."  Ivan 


Tzrnoyevitch's  two  famous 
guns,  140 

ZEMLYITCH,  STYEPAN.  Accom- 
panies the  doge  of  Venice,  who 
acts  as  Marko's  koom,  96-100 

ZETA.  The  Montenegro  of  modern 
times,  Skadar  the  capital  of,  1 1 9, 
1 20 

ZETINA.  Waters  of,  stirred  by 
explosion  of  Ivan  Tzrnoye- 
vitch's guns,  140 

ZMAY.  The  Serbian  word  for 
dragon,  129;  the,  of  Yastrebatz, 
and  the  Tsarina  Militza,  129 


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